Wayne White, 47

Wayne Roger White, age 47 of Mendon, died Sunday May 8, 2011 at his home. He was born in Lansing, MI on May 1, 1964 the son of Roger D. and Nancy (Arnette) White. Wayne graduated from Athens High School with the class of 1982. He enjoyed deer hunting, horseback riding, bowling, riding the motorcycle trails near Baldwin, and later learned to scuba dive.

Wayne retired as a staff sergeant after 20 years in the U.S. Army. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division during Desert Storm and in Bosnia, and had also been stationed in Germany and South Korea.

He moved to Mendon 5 years ago, and had been employed at Abbot Labs in Sturgis.

Wayne had a very strong work ethic, but was also able to let his sense of humor shine through. He made family gathering so much fun, and will be dearly missed by his family. They take comfort in knowing that he is at peace while they carry on with heavy hearts.

Wayne is survived by his mother, Shirley Williams of Athens; his sister, Denise ((Kevin) King of Mendon; grandmother, Helen Arnette of Battle Creek; nephew, Isiah Arevalo; niece, Blaec Arevalo both of Mendon; and cousins, Kevin Bassett, Jim and Colleen Ziemer. He was preceded in death by his step-father, Brian Williams; grandfather, Wayne Arnette; and aunt, Sandra Bassett.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Eickhoff Funeral Home in Mendon. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday May 14, 2011 at the funeral home with Rev. David Mackaluso officiating. Burial and military honors will be at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI (time and day to be determined). The family suggests that memorials be directed to Pet Haven, P.O. Box 853 Sturgis, MI 49091. An online register is available at www.eickhofffuneralhome.com