Vance "Buck" White

Vance C. “Buck” White, Jr., age 91, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2021, at Inova Fairfax Hospital, while listening to his favorite 1950’s music. “Buck”, the nickname given to him at birth by his grandfather, was born in 1930 and grew up in Portsmouth, VA, where he graduated from Wilson High School in 1948. After high school he worked as a printer & typesetter at the local newspaper, where his internship turned into his career. He also served 9 years in the National Guard as a combat medic. He married Maxine White in the late 1950’s, gaining three beautiful little girls, Carolyn, Maxine, and Teresa, and he loved them as his own. In 1962, he began his 30-year career with the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington, D.C. and he also purchased his first and only new house in Springfield. In 1964, his son Kevin was born, and the family grew to 6, and they lived happily together in their new home. In his younger years, he enjoyed having a pilot's license and flying small aircraft, as he was always fascinated by airplanes and flying. He often said, that if he was old enough to serve in World War II, he would have enlisted and trained to be a pilot. He always had a great love for family, friends, his country, and for service. He loved to tell stories about his assignments on Capitol Hill, where he enjoyed working with members of Congress to finalize and publish new legislation. He was a bit of a prankster and told many stories about all the pranks and jokes that went on behind the scenes. He was a fun, proud and resilient man in every aspect of life. He also enjoyed bowling, fishing, golf, hunting, and anything sports related. One of his greatest joys was supporting Kevin’s baseball dreams, from the day that he threw his first pitch in 1972, until his final pitch in 1987, at James Madison University. His love of sports included watching them on TV and in person. Any team based in Washington DC was his favorite. He also loved the Boston Red Sox because of Ted Williams, who he said was the greatest hitter of all times but gave it up to serve his country as a fighter pilot. He often told stories from the 1950’s about when he would routinely travel from, from Portsmouth, to DC, to attend Washington Redskin football games and Washington Senators baseball games. He retired from the (GPO) In 1992, after spending the final year of his career fighting for his life following triple bypass heart surgery, which was immediately followed by a surgery for esophageal/stomach cancer. At the time of this surgery, the surgeon told the family that he had a 5% survival chance, and of course he beat those odds. His dedication to service afforded him the ability to amass over 1 years’ worth of sick leave, which he used for his recovery. Sadly, within a year of his recovery his wife Maxine passed away, and his lifelong dream of spending his golden years with his wife traveling the world, and visiting family, all came to a sudden stop. His devotion to family never wavered, and in time he was able to resume his adventurous spirit, and he began traveling with friends and family. His trips are far too many to list, but he visited many sites in United States, Europe, Scandinavia, Baltic countries, Russia and many more. One of his most impressive trips came in his later years when he toured Egypt, with a tour group, and he did it alone. This embodied his determination and adventurous spirit, and his immense curiosity to “see the world”. However, these trips never interfered with celebrating every holiday, or special occasion with his family. In 2019, he took his final trip, which was Nashville. This was his final check mark on his “bucket list”, and he enjoyed it with Carolyn and Kevin. Buck loved 50’s music, dancing, and being around people. As a member of the Elks Lodge, he volunteered (worked) at Bingo Night every Monday for over 20 years and attended many of their dances. His stories often detailed how he danced with any lady that was around, and often wore out 3 or 4 of them per event. His love of dancing cemented his courtship and marriage to Maxine, and it was reported that Maxine told him that “If you had not been able to dance, you never would have gotten a second date”. He demonstrated his love of dancing almost until his final breath, by dancing with a nurse in his hospital room, just 2 weeks ago. Another great joy in his later years was his friendship, and camaraderie with his group of friends at McDonalds, which is about 10-15 strong. They spent countless hours together solving all the world's problems, telling jokes, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Two days prior to passing, he told Kevin “I cannot wait to get stronger so that I can go see my McDonald’s friends”. Most days could not start for the outside world, until he finished his time at McDonald’s… Buck will be forever known for his infectious laugh, love of family, love of music, quick wit, passion for adventure, competitive spirit, dancing abilities, and love of life. He was a loving husband to his late wife Maxine D. White, and supportive father to all of his children. He is survived by his son Kevin White, Kevin’s wife Lisa, his daughter Carolyn Uhrich, Carolyn’s husband Dennis, and son-in-law Jim Keys. He was a loving and proud Granddad to all 7 of his grandchildren: chronologically, Donovan Keys, Brian Keys, Heath Hodel, Ian McKee, Ross Uhrich, Amanda White, and Ashley White. Some of his most powerful words came during his final months when he repeatedly said: “I have lived a good life, with no regrets”. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. There will be a 2pm visitation with family and friends, followed by a funeral service and celebration of life at 3 pm. Graveside services will be held, on Sunday, October 17th, at 3pm, at the Olive Branch Cemetery, Portsmouth, Virginia. Friends and family are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in Buck’s name can be made to: Heroes Inc: www.heroes.org/donate-now/