John Gerard White, a longtime resident of Rye, N.Y., passed away peacefully on Feb. 22, 2024. He was 83 years old.

Born in Brooklyn in 1940, he was the third of four boys. Raised in the Orienta section of Mamaroneck, he attended Holy Trinity Grammar School, Iona Preparatory School, and Mamaroneck High School. In high school, he played football and excelled as a swimmer, participating in swim trials for the US National Team in the late 1950s. As a young man, he enjoyed spending time on Long Island Sound and worked as a lifeguard at Orienta Beach Club.

Following high school, he worked at Brewer’s Hardware Store on the Post Road in Mamaroneck to help pay his way through college. After graduating from New York University in 1963, he embarked on a 40-year career in the commercial real estate industry.

During his life, Mr. White faced and did his best to overcome a number of challenges, none greater than the death of his first wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Alexandra and Eric, in a house fire at the family’s home in New Canaan, Conn., in 1975.

In 1977, he married Melinda O’Keefe, and adopted her two young sons, Robbie and Sean. The family settled in Rye.

John White was a leading commercial real estate broker in Westchester and Fairfield counties, who started his career with Cross and Brown and later became a partner at Rostenberg Doern & Co. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and possessed with talent for building long-term business relationships, he established his own firm, John G. White Realty, Inc. in the early 1980s. 

Throughout his career, he was the lead agent on commercial property transactions for some of the largest companies in Westchester County, including IBM, Xerox, and Con Edison. He developed longtime professional relationships with leading commercial property developers in the area.  

He served on the Business Development Board of the Hudson Valley Bank and was a member of Rotary International, serving as president of the Harrison chapter for many years.

John and Melinda White enjoyed raising their family in Rye, where they were active members of Coveleigh Club. Throughout their life together, Melinda remained a loving, devoted, and resilient supporter.

In his spare time, he enjoyed photography, jazz music, tennis, and walking along Long Island Sound with the family’s beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Samantha. 

In addition to his beloved wife, Melinda, John White is survived by his brother Patrick, his two sons and their spouses: Rob (Cathrine) and Sean (Jessica); and four grandchildren: Liam, Katie, Madison, and Jane. He was predeceased by his brothers, Donald and Raymond.

A Memorial gathering will be held Saturday, March 2 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at D’Elia Funeral Home, 1300 Vermont Ave., Lakewood, N.J. A Memorial service will follow from 12 to 12:45 p.m.