Katherine Joy “Kat” White

Katherine Joy White, age 70, went to be with the Lord on Friday, Oct. 15^th, 2021. All the songs she sang about heaven have now become her reality as she is with Jesus, the One she loved so much.  Kathy was born in Kenmare, ND to Pastor Lloyd and Ruth Tandberg.  She truly was their joy and delight.  She also lived in Cavalier, ND.  They moved to Anoka, MN where Kathy went to school from kindergarten to 11^th grade. Her family moved from there to Cut Bank, MT where she graduated from high school.  She went on to school at Trinity Bible College in Jamestown, ND where she met her future husband, William Raymond White, Jr, or Bill, as he was called.  They both were musically talented and sang in the choir.  Kathy had played the piano since she was very young and sang trios with her two sisters, Linda and Bonnie, whom she affectionately nicknamed, Linch and Bonzo.  It was amazing how she would listen to a song and then just sit down and play it on the piano, even from a young age.  What a gift!  When Bill and Kathy became engaged, Bill came to her house in Montana for the summer to learn ministry from her dad and work on a farm.  He would write long letters on the tractor to Kitten or Kitty Kat as he called Kathy.  On June 6^th, 1970, they were married and moved to Missouri.  Their first child was a little boy, William Raymond White III born in Monett, MO.  Kathy couldn’t believe this beautiful baby boy was hers and she wanted so much to be a good mother to him. Later she had her only daughter, Katherine Joylyn White born in Hettinger, ND.  She became a true joy to Kathy as they shared life together in Tampa for many years.  When Jason Matthew White was born in Bentonville, AR, their family was complete.  He was a curious, adventurous little boy.   She loved her children so much and was so proud of all they accomplished.  Bill joined the Air Force and they were stationed in New Mexico for his first assignment.  Then they moved to Michigan for 5 years, a place both of them liked. They were then sent to England for 3 years and took advantage of visiting many places in Europe while they were there.  Next they moved to Washington, D.C. where Kathy started work at the Pentagon.

When Bill was transferred to Tampa, FL, Kathy became a Program Analyst at US Special Operations Command (SOCOM)on MacDill AFB where she became known as Kat. She enjoyed her job and loved the chance to meet so many people, especially the King of Norway as she had learned Norwegian because of her heritage; her grandparents came over to the US from Norway.  Jordan, Joy’s son, was her first grandchild, followed by Matt’s children, Angelica and Jason (mother Frannie) Sydney and Makenzie (mother Sharon) and her youngest grandchild, Will and Bridget’s son, Hunter.  They were her delight and she wrote postcards to them while she was in chemotherapy. Writing to them made her happy.  Kathy was a student who always wanted to get A’s and be the best she could be.  She never did things half-heartedly.  She went back to college, attending night classes after work, and earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Southeastern in Lakeland, FL. When she did ministry with the teens of Faith Tabernacle, she taught them to memorize the Word of God for Bible Quizzing, sing and play for worship and perform in competitions for Fine Arts, many times making it to Nationals. When she did Jr. Bible Quiz she taught the kids songs she made up to scripture verses to help them memorize. In her last years at SOCOM, Kathy started taking courses to pursue her dream job a court reporter when she retired.  She loved adventures (she once parachuted out of a plane!) and went on many of them with her children and grandchildren and her husband and sisters and their husbands.  She enjoyed many pastimes including clogging, going to plays, driving around to see Christmas lights, Busch Gardens, Facetiming and visiting with her grandchildren, church and Christian groups.  She was passionate about God’s Word and gave away Bibles all the time, as well as Christian books and Bibles to prisons.  During the last months of her life, she had her sisters and husband read the Bible and pray with her, alternating every day.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Ruth Tandberg, and her husband, Bill White. Besides her beloved children and grandchildren, Kathy is survived by her two sisters, Linda Wolfe and Bonnie Weinmeister and brothers-in-law, Steven Wolfe and Duane Weinmeister; as well as many nieces and nephews and cousins.  She will be deeply missed by her family and friends but we look forward to seeing her again in Heaven.

Services and Ceremonies will be hosted by Veterans Funeral Care, 830 N. Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL 33765  on  Saturday October 23rd, 2021.  Viewing/Visitation will be at 1:00pm, with Funeral Ceremony to follow at 1:30pm.  Everyone who knew Kat and wishes to join us to celebrate her is welcome.