Audrey Onita “Nita” Pace White, a cherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and proud World War II veteran, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2024, at the age of 101, in Georgetown, Texas.
Nita was born on May 12, 1923, in New Boston, Texas, to Walter Eugene Pace and Carrie Estella Pace. She was one of seven siblings and shared a vibrant childhood with her brothers Benjamin Leonard Pace (passed in infancy before her birth), Leslie Byron Pace, Herbert Eugene Pace, Herman Otto Pace, and Joseph Clifton Pace, and her sister Clara Grace Coleman, all of whom preceded her in death.
A trailblazer for her time, Nita joined the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1943, serving with distinction during World War II until November 1945. Her service reflected her unwavering dedication to her country.
In 1947, she married William Dallas White, the love of her life, and together they built a life filled with love, adventure, and family. Their marriage spanned 54 wonderful years until William’s passing in 2001.
Nita’s life journey took her across Texas, where she lived in Houston, San Marcos, Dallas, and Austin, as well as internationally to Venezuela while her husband worked in the oil industry there in the mid 1950s.
She is survived by her two loving children, Deirdre Ann Lee (and husband Roger Lee) Of Austin, Texas and William Alan White (and wife Zhongjian Naomi White) of San Antonio, Texas; her two grandchildren, Jennifer Miyoko Burley (and husband Michael Burley) of London, U.K. and Casey Lee (and wife Erika Lee) of Northridge, California; and her four great-grandchildren, William Burley, Luke Burley, Calvin Lee, and Emmitt Lee.
Nita was a woman of many passions, with genealogy as her greatest. Over five decades, she meticulously pieced together her family’s history, leaving behind an extraordinary collection of notes, documents, and photographs that will be treasured for generations. A devoted fan of many, many TV shows over the decades, she was also captivated by the wonders of space exploration, finding endless fascination in humanity’s journey to the stars.
One of Nita’s most favorite pastimes was driving. She loved the freedom of being able to jump in her car and go anywhere she wanted whenever she wanted. Nita especially loved getting up at the crack of dawn before anyone else did and head to Walmart or the supermarket so she could get what she wanted and get back home before morning rush hour started. She drove until she was nearly 95 years old.
Her warmth, strength, and insatiable curiosity inspired everyone who knew her. She will be remembered as a devoted wife, a caring mother, a doting grandmother, and a patriotic Marine whose legacy will live on in the hearts of her loved ones.
She requested that no funeral be held for her. She will be interred, with full military honors, next to her husband at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at a later date unknown at the time of publication.
