August 06, 2003
Wiley Wilson White III, former director of an independent living program for emotionally disturbed youths, died of cancer July 29 at his Guilford home. He was 56.
Born in Birmingham, Ala., and raised in the Philippines and Florida, he enlisted in the Navy in 1967 and studied the Indonesian language at the Defense Language Institute at Monterey, Calif. After his discharge from the military, he earned a history degree at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he took graduate courses in special education.
After teaching high school history briefly in the Baltimore County schools system, he co-founded Heartwood Builders in 1981 and built custom-designed decks.
Mr. White became the vocational director for Family Advocacy Services in Catonsville for a year before becoming the agency's independent living director from 1992 to last year. The agency worked with emotionally disturbed youths and their families.
"He was a peacekeeper and used his imagination in ways to solve problems and conflict," said Dave Tracey, his friend and former employer at Family Advocacy Services.
His hobbies included golf, basketball, table tennis, dancing and gardening.
A memorial gathering will be held at 6 p.m. today at his home at 407 Southway.
Survivors include his wife of 10 years, artist Michelle Sanzi Kermes; a daughter, Anna Rebekah Beall of Baltimore; four brothers, Mark White of Kula, Hawaii, Tim Clemons of Dallas, Dean White of Durango, Colo., and Lonny Clemons of San Diego; four sisters, Alyce Zinzinger of Wichita, Kan., Lejuana Norman of Albuquerque, N.M., Jean Downs of Savannah, Ga., and Kelen White of Glen Burnie; and his stepmother, Janice White of Clearwater, Fla.
