Oreana S. “Rene” White, 88, of Minnehaha Springs, died Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, where she received excellent care from her doctors, physician assistants and a wonderful nursing staff.
Her life began May 30, 1937, in Bath County, Virginia, but her home was always Douthards Creek.
She was a 1956 graduate of Marlinton High School, and she started her working life at the Marlinton Dairy shortly after graduation.
In 1959, she married Max White and became a farm wife. From the garden to the chicken house, to the kitchen, Rene put her heart and soul into their lives together. She became a member of New Hope Lutheran Church shortly after their marriage and was a faithful member, often doing work there behind the scenes that no one ever knew about until she wasn’t able to do those things anymore. She worked for Job Corps and then the U.S. Forest Service where she thrived as a clerk in procurement and then timber. She spent many hours volunteering for various organizations, including CEOS, the Pocahontas County Opera House, and was a 4-H leader for more than 30 years, earning the honor of 4-H All Star. She was the Pocahontas County Chamber of Commerce’s first Volunteer of the Year in 2007 and was also recognized by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in 2014 for her volunteer service.
Her love of history led her to research the Alderman family, and many descendants have relied on her knowledge while doing their own research.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her mother, Leeota Durkee; her brother, Charles Snyder; and her sisters, Nancee O’Neal and Bonnie Snyder.
Rene is survived by her daughter, Pam Pritt, and husband, Kenneth, of Hillsboro; her son, Doug White, of Richmond, Virginia; granddaughters, Amanda Unroe, and husband, Nate, of Roanoke, Virginia, and Valerie Pritt, of Lewisburg; great-granddaughters, Libby and Kenzie Unroe; brother, David Snyder, of Lexington, Virginia; niece, Karen Snyder, of Roanoke, Virginia; and many close friends from her other “families” at church, the Forest Service, the Opera House, CEOS and her neighborhood.
Her family will honor her life in a service Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Kimble Funeral Home in Marlinton, with a visitation at noon and service at 2 p.m. presided over by her pastors, Paul Schafer and Angela Lambert.
Memorial donations may be made to New Hope Lutheran Church, 9280 Huntersville Rd., Marlinton, WV, 24954, or the Pocahontas County Opera House, 818 Third Avenue, Marlinton WV, 24954.
