Lamar Liddell White

Lamar Liddell White, 80, passed away Friday, March 23, 2007 at his home in Gulfport after a long and courageous battle with cancer. A devoted husband of 58 years, a loving father and grandfather, Liddell will be remembered as someone with a very generous and compassionate heart who lived life to the fullest. Family and friends will remember him as a champion who throughout his illness was a testament to the power of faith and positive thinking against the odds. The family wishes to thank Dr. Ed Davidson and the many special doctors and nurses at M.D. Anderson in Houston for their excellent care over the last 20 years. Most recently, they thank the kind nurses at the Gulfport Memorial Emergency Room. Born May 4, 1926 in Union, Liddell was a resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast for over 46 years. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1949 and served in the army during World War II. He moved his family from Jackson to the Gulf Coast in 1960 where he built homes, apartments, shopping centers and developed land. Throughout his career he was active in numerous civic and charitable organizations including the Lions Club, Salvation Army, Kiwanis and the Gulfport Rotary Club, and he was a past president of the Mississippi Home Builders Association. Liddell enjoyed numerous sports and was a long time member of the Gulfport Yacht Club, Bayou Bluff Tennis Club and a past king of the Merry Maskers Mardi Gras Ball. A member of First Baptist Church of Gulfport for over 40 years, Liddell is survived by his wife, Shirley Alexander White; three daughters, Shannon and her husband Michael F. Cavanaugh of Biloxi; Nancy and her husband James T. Perkins of Madison; Leslie and her husband Richard C. Coker of Jackson; and seven grandchildren Ashley McVey of Atlanta, Georgia; Matthew, Stephen and Anna Katherine Coker of Jackson; Andy Perkins of Madison; and Patrick Cavanaugh and Kerry Stoddard of Biloxi. He was preceded in death by his parents, Homer Lamar and Melzina White, and sister, Mamie Sue Lepke. Visitation will be Sunday, March 25 from 5-7 pm at Bradford-O¹Keefe Funeral Home on O¹Neal Road in Gulfport. Another visitation will be held on Monday, March 26 from 1-2 pm at Trinity Methodist Church in Gulfport with funeral services beginning at 2 pm. Burial will follow at Southern Memorial Park in Biloxi. The family requests that a memorial be sent to the First Baptist Church Building Fund, 516 A Courthouse Road, Gulfport, MS 39507 or to the American Diabetes Association, 16 Northtown Drive, Suite 100, Jackson, MS 39211.