Obituary of Delores Mae White

Delores Mae (Hickler) White, beloved wife of Bill, and mother of Doug and Darrell, passed away on March 6, 2023 at her home in Fort Worth, Texas, after a week of care from her family and caregivers**. She was a devoted and loving wife, mom, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, cousin and friend to many.

She was born to Edward and Hilda (Olson) Hickler, in Minneapolis, MN on April 1, 1935. Her ancestors came to this country in the latter 19^th century mostly from Germany and Sweden. Her family lived on a farm in Wright County, MN, in a community where she was surrounded by cousins who remained among her closest friends her whole life.

She gave her life to Christ and was baptized as a child. After high school, she lived in Minneapolis, when she and one of her best friends decided to move to Colorado Springs, CO. There she met her lifetime love, William White, who became her husband on April 12, 1957 – a marriage that would last more than 65 years. Their married life began back in Minneapolis, where Doug was born in March, and then moved to Milwaukee where Darrell was born in March 1964. Bill taught high school at Milwaukee Tech, and when she started work, Delores worked as Librarian at Thoreau grade school.

Delores and Bill shaped their lives around their love for Jesus, serving in the community they discovered at First Alliance church (C&MA) in Milwaukee (Now Crossway in Germantown). They were passionate about supporting the work of missions and she loved to receive the missionaries who came from around the world in their home. They both served in almost every capacity available in their church. And they kept attending until they moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 2019, near their son Darrell and his wife Linda

Another love they shared was beauty in nature, and over the years they visited most of the national parks, and many other scenic places, driving through all the contiguous states and to Alaska. They also visited Brazil, where their son Doug with his wife Helen were missionaries, and saw wonders there including Iguaçu Falls.

A hallmark of Delores’ life was was her remarkable history of living through major health challenges with grace and determination. Many of these challenges yielded stories worth telling. She often said “Thanks to God and modern medicine, I am still here.” Late in life she had severe knee pain, but she persevered in getting out to see family and friends.

Another hallmark was her ability to make and maintain friendships. She noticed what was happening with people, she listened deeply, she offered hospitality, she traveled distances to see them, and she bonded quickly with all sorts of people. Her boys got to meet many of her far away friends when the route to a scenic place coincided with friends or relatives.

Delores is survived by her husband, Bill; sons and daughters-in-law, Doug & Helen, and Darrell & Linda; grandchildren, spouses and great-grandchildren, Aaron & Thaïs White with Christy and Micah, Caleb & Sarah White with Caroline and Elissa, Rachel White, Jennifer White & Landon Cabarubio, and Justin White & Floriin Aunis with Oliver.

**Special thanks to Heart to Heart Hospice and The Borrowed Sister.

A visitation will be begin at 10:00 a.m. with a funeral service starting at 11:00 a.m. March 9^th at Martin Thompson and Son Funeral Home at 6009 Wedgwood Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76133.

Flowers are appreciated and donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Ministry of Doug and Helen White for their work in Mexico and Brazil at Doug and Helen White - World Indigenous Missions and mark it in memory of Delores.