Mary Darling White

Mary Darling White was born on December 1, 1926 in Mississippi to Duward and Bertha Darling.

She passed away May 7, 2023, at the age of 96, peacefully, at home with family by her side.

Mary was the youngest of 3, having 2 older brothers (Fritz and Charles). At a young age, Mary’s family moved from Mississippi to Florence, Alabama, where her father worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Growing up in the city, Mary loved to play dodgeball, basketball, and was taught to play the piano by her mother. After graduating high school, Mary went on to attend a business school. Mary then went to work with her father for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Later, Mary met a very nice and handsome military man in church, Forrest Kenneth White, who was stationed at Florence in the Airforce. After dating for about a year, Kenneth and Mary were married June 7, 1945, and promptly moved to the Pahsimeroi Valley near May, Idaho to work on a local ranch.

They eventually purchased a small ranch of their own and had 3 children (Sharon, Ken, and Ella). Ranch life was new for Mary due to her growing up a city girl to then milking cows and gathering eggs to sell in town. Ranch life was difficult but she learned how to adjust to the many changes. Mary told a story of how Kenneth would always stop by the local dump to find treasures and she was appalled one day when Kenneth picked up a “Thunder Mug”, used for a bedside commode. Mary refused to ride home with Kenneth and walked home! Later the Thunder Mug came in handy when Mary needed to water her flowers but when Kenneth came home and caught her, she quickly threw it over the fence to not get caught. Kenneth always said, “Never pass up a good bucket!”

In 1972, Mary and Kenneth sold their first ranch to their oldest daughter and purchased a larger ranch in Falls Creek, still in the Pahsimeroi Valley. Mary and Kenneth often played music together, including playing for dances at the May Grange Hall. Besides the piano, Mary also learned to play the accordion and harmonica.

Mary had many loves but her favorite was gardening, raising beautiful flowers, and adding to her collection of ceramic Holstein cows. Mary also loved the hummingbirds and on any given day, you could see as many as 15 birds out her large bay windows. She had names for just about all of them!

Anyone who knew Mary would say she was always smiling, had a wonderful personality, and had an amazing laugh. Mary always kept her cookie jar full for her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, her husband, Kenneth White, her daughter, Sharon Arrizubieta(Genaro Arrizubieta), her son Ken White, and son-in-law, Julian Ybarlucea. Mary is survived by her daughter, Ella Ybarlucea, daughter-in-law, Kathy White, 9 grandchildren, 13 great-great grandchildren, and 9 great-great-great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews from Alabama, including her nephew Mike Darling, who held a special place in her heart.

A celebration of life will be held in the Pahsimeroi Valley later this summer.

A poem saved by Mary….

John Gillespie Magee Jr.
High Flight

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings:
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling
mirth of sun-split clouds, -- and done a hundred
mirth things you have not dreamed of – wheeled
and soared and swung-

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung.
My eager craft through the footless heals of air…

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,

Where never lark, or even eagle flew-
And while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
-Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”