Nancy Darling White

Nancy Darling White of Gilbert, Arizona was born on April 10, 1942 in Kingston, New York. Soon thereafter her family moved to Rochester, New York. There she attended Monroe High School. She went on to college and met her husband at Cornell University and they were married in 1963. She is survived by her husband, Harlow, and their four children, Tracey, Brian, Kelsey and Rachel as well as more than a dozen grandchildren and great grandchildren. She passed away from the complications of a stroke on June 3, 2026.

She was an extraordinary woman in many ways but first and foremost she was a completely supportive wife, a true partner, and a loving mother. She was the glue that held things together, so much so that friends of her children adopted her as a second mother. Nancy always made time to engage with them and listen and there was always a place at the table for anyone in her extended family who showed up.

After college and following a stint as a Navy wife, Nancy was able to follow her dream of moving west with her family to California and later to Hawaii where the family lived for 15 years before their return to the mainland in Arizona where she spent the last 25 years of her amazing life. Along the way she worked outside the home as needed to help with the costs of a growing family including tuition. In Hawaii she achieved near-legendary status as the chief fundraiser for Hawaii School for Girls at La Pietra, garnering huge donations of cash and products, including cars and travel packages from corporate and civic leaders. She used the cash to purchase other desirable items. The donations were then assembled for an annual auction which came to be known as Hoopla (she even charged admission to this yearly event) and raised millions of dollars for scholarships. This was done for three straight years as an unpaid volunteer. In this and other pursuits she was loved and admired by her colleagues who were amazed by her work ethic.

Nancy was always athletic. She was a gymnast, swimmer and an accomplished equestrienne, winning a gold medal in the South Pacific Games in Western Riding. She viewed these days as her “midlife crisis on horseback”. Once done with riding, she took up golf with a passion and played several times a week, often with her husband, frequently winning “dinner bets”. Here, her volunteer interests were tapped once again, and she was asked to organize and run the largest women's golf tournament in the East Valley. This became known as “Denim and Diamonds” and she did this for two years to great acclaim.

Nancy loved to travel. With her husband and sometimes with one or more of their children, she visited 15 countries on three continents, spending time in the countryside and in some of the world's greatest cities. She was always a great goodwill ambassador, bringing joy both at home and on her travels. She touched lives everywhere with her kind thoughtful demeanor. Everyone she met understood that it was not about her, but her interest in them.

She loved animals from the smallest to the very large — hamsters, kittens, cats, horses and a succession of German Shepherds and a black lab which she taught to surf. Few furry friends anywhere have known more love than she gave.

Nancy was an avid reader of many types of books and periodicals. Her natural curiosity led her in many directions to learn. She prided herself on staying informed about what was going on in the world, locally, nationally and internationally. There wasn't much that she missed and she could discuss current events, as well as history, knowledgeably. She was a patriot through and through, always decorating for holidays, especially Independence Day, with flags and bunting hanging everywhere.

She was one of a kind and will be missed immensely.

Donations can be made in her memory to The American Stroke Association or to Plant a Tree.

Memorial services in celebration of her life are pending.