Jeanne Carol White passed into eternal life April 30, 2022 with husband Joe at her side. She died with immense courage and acceptance.
Jeanne was born to Selma (Leesburg) and Harold Bates on August 7, 1952. She grew up in Brookfield Wisconsin. In 1972 her family moved to a small farm near Merton, WI, where they had a small horse stable, long a dream of Jeanne. Jeanne married Joseph White in 1974, and this August they would have celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary.
Jeanne and Joe purchased a farm near Marshall in 1987, where Jeanne could joyfully practice her advocation with horses. In more recent years she participated in timed distance driving events (horse and cart) with her beloved mare, Chessica. She won numerous awards and championships. Horses were always a part of her life and she had “horse friends” all over the country. One of her last wishes was for me (her husband) to say goodbye to her online friends on the Equine-L list. She will be missed by so many of her friends and companions in the horse world in Wisconsin and the country. Knowing she was getting ready to cross the “Rainbow Bridge” (often said when a loved horse or pet died) she had wished for one more good summer. She now has an eternity of good summers.
She above all had a fierce love for all life, especially exhibited with how she cared for the animals on the farm. This included taking on horses that were going to be put down; special feeding for geriatric animals’ way beyond their “useful lives” and bringing more than a few abandoned kittens into the house to nurse to health. She was always profoundly affected when she lost one of the animals.
In addition to the horses Jeanne had numerous other interests and talents. She was a skilled seamstress able to sew almost anything; she worked in leather, dabbled in ‘horse’ archery, and even was learning blacksmithing (A Christmas gift to her a few years ago was an anvil). Whatever it was she “went into it with both feet”, no half measures.
She worked at Natus Biomedical as a technical support technician and will be greatly missed by her many co-workers and customers in Middleton and North America.
Jeanne and Joe have two wonderful children and one grandchild
Jeanne is survived by husband, Joseph, children Sean of Black River Falls, WI, and Vanessa, grandson Evan, and son-in-law Eric of Tucson, AZ., a sister, Lee of Pardeeville, WI., many cousins, nieces and nephews, and in-laws.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday June 10, 2022 at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church in Sun Prairie, 229 Columbus Street. A visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Mass on Friday at the church. Father Thomas Kelley will preside. A luncheon and celebration of her life will be held at the Round Table in Sun Prairie, 1611 N. Bristol St. following the inurnment at Sacred Hearts Cemetery.