Willie White
Obituary


Lewiston Morning Tribune
Friday, February 24, 1939

Willie White, Negro, Found Dead In Bed

Willie White, 48, negro, for 10 years a resident of Lewiston as an employee of barbershops and shoe shining parlors, was found dead in bed with his clothes on this morning at 622 C street. L. B. Wann, coroner, was called and announced that an inquest will not be held. He asserted that death was probably due to acute alcoholism coupled with a heart attack. The body is at the Vassar-Rawls mortuary.

"Dixie Toten, operator of the boarding house where White was a guest, informed me that a negro friend escorted White to his room about 3:30 Thursday morning," said Coroner Wann. "Reports are to the effect that he was under the influence of liquor. When attempts were made to arouse him Thursday to go to work at the Anderson barber shop, he was found dead. Nothing was found in his meager effects at the boarding house that would indicate survivors, birthplace or other vital information."

M. P. (Blue Pete) Davis said yesterday: "I brought Whitey to Lewiston from Portland to work in my place of business in 1929. I sent a ticket to him by a Pullman porter. He worked for me several years, then resigned and became associated with Roy Hoagland's shop. Later he was employed by Louis Drum and remained in that shop when it was taken over by Frank Anderson. He was born in Oklahoma and was a World war veteran. He was gassed in action, suffered from flat feet and during the last several months had been ailing because of heart, kidney and lung disorders. His mother is dead and his father is somewhere in southern California where he also has a brother."

Funeral services will be held Saturday morning at 10 at the Vassar-Rawls chapel with interment in Normal Hill cemetery.


Contributed by Natalie Huntley


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