Julia Taylor White

Julia Taylor White of Knoxville, Tennessee, died on Friday, December 14, from complications following hip surgery.

She was born on November 14, 1914, in Winnabow, NC, the daughter of Alice Johnson Taylor and Edwin Wellington Taylor.

A graduate of Flora MacDonald College, for seven years she taught fourth and sixth grade in Bolivia, NC and Graham, NC. She married James Wilson White in 1942 and they moved to Knoxville for him to begin his 42-year career teaching physics at the University of Tennessee. Her priorities were family, church, and civic involvement, particularly those causes dealing with history or education. Her relationships with her family were sources of great pride and enjoyment. A member of First Presbyterian Church for 65 years, she taught adult Sunday School for 53 years and served as a Ruling Elder. She served on the Board of Trustees of King College for nine years, and was a board member of The Blount Mansion Association for 25 years, including several years as president. She was a member of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, serving as area president and on the state board. She was a board member and historian of the University of Tennessee Faculty Woman’s Club. She loved her home overlooking Ft. Loudoun Lake and the mountains, and enjoyed sharing her home with guests. She loved to travel, read, and feed the songbirds in her backyard.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two brothers, Edwin Wellington Taylor, Jr., and Charles Mercer Taylor.

She is survived by a sister, Helen Frances Taylor of Winnabow, and brother, Jackson Johnson Taylor (Libby) of Richmond, VA.; three sons and their families: the Rev. James W. White, Jr. (Ann) of Oak Island, NC, and sons Dr. J.W. “Will” White, III (Susanne Brander) of Davis, CA, and Russell P. White of Chicago, IL; J. Harvey White (Karen) and their son Joseph H. White, Jr. of Knoxville; Dr. Charles P. White (Janie) of Greenville, NC and nieces: Ellen Sisson (Frank) and their children: Jack, Mary, and Frances Sisson of New Canaan, CT; Frances Anton (Jim) and their sons: John and Peter Anton of Durham, NC; Nancy Bodge (Kevin) and their children: Charles, Edwin, and Alice Bodge of Atlantic Beach, FL; and numerous cousins.

There will be a graveside service at 11:00 on Thursday, December 20 at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Winnabow, NC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Knoxville, 620 State Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 or to King College, 1350 King College Road, Bristol, Tennessee 37620.

Wilmington Burial and Cremation Service 1535 S. 41st Street Wilmington, NC 28401 910.791.9099