Winfield Wayne "Whit" White of Fort Myers, formerly of Sanibel and Cincinnati, died peacefully at Shell Point Hospice House on June 26, 2011. Born on Sept. 5, 1923, in Wilmington, Del., he was the son of George A. White and Edith Violet Egelhof. After serving in the signal corps attached to the Army Air Corps assigned to the B29 base in India during World War II, he attended Purdue University where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

He was a businessman who specialized in selling cash registers in the Cincinnati area. He was known for being the kind of salesperson who would thoroughly learn about his customers’ business so that he could help them operate more efficiently and effectively. He was also known for being a caring boss. After selling his business in 1980, he retired briefly but then went back to consulting for an electronic cash register company that needed his knowledge of the Cincinnati market. At that time, he was known as "Mr. Cash Register" in southwestern Ohio. In 1982, he retired again and began to spend more and more time at his home on Sanibel Island.
 
He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Harriet Joy, and by four children, Carolyn (Douglas) Johnson of West Bend; Robert White (Debra Dunek) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Barbara Joy (Thomas) Cooley of Sanibel; and William (Cindy) White of Dade City, Fla.; and seven grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, James (Muriel) White of Fort Myers.

Whit was a devoted, gentle and wonderful father.

On Sanibel, he was an active Stephen Minister for the Sanibel Community Church for almost 10 years. He also volunteered at Health Park and at the Computer Lab and Pavilion at Shell Point. He was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Madeira, Ohio, then the Sanibel Community Church, and Faith United Methodist Church in Fort Myers. In all three churches, he was a strong supporter of and participant in small groups.

He loved watching football and wildlife, bicycling, and learning about computers. He and Joy spent many delightful summers in West Bend, and they enjoyed a number of summers traveling in motor homes, achieving a goal of visiting all 50 states. They also traveled internationally. He worked part-time for a while during retirement at Bailey’s Hardware store, because he always liked to help people solve problems and fix things.

Whit loved people - all people - and he loved God.

Family members would like to thank the caregivers from Hope Hospice. They have been a great source of comfort and support to Whit and Joy and their family over the past month.

A memorial service will be held in Shell Point’s Village Church chapel, Fort Myers, Fla.