‘Irreplaceable’: Jesse X. White remembered for Morristown community service

Jesse X. White
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Jesse X. White, fondly known as “Mighty Whitey,” is being remembered for his devotion to the Morristown community.

White passed peacefully on Oct. 22, 2021, with his wife Christine at his bedside. He had turned 70 earlier in the month.

Jesse X. White

For many years, White manned the front desk of the Morristown Neighborhood House “with his own unique brand of warmth, humor and strength,” said Patrice Picard, CEO of Cornerstone Family Programs and the Neighborhood House.

“‘Mr. Jesse’ left his mark on the Neighborhood House as an unofficial mentor to so many of our youth, and as a true model of community spirit,” Picard said. “He is irreplaceable.”

White also volunteered weekly at Table of Hope Mobile Food pantry, helped create the annual Morristown Community Day, and received the George Gramby Humanitarian Award for his efforts to establish a drug rehabilitation program, according to his obituary.

His legacy will live on through a youth basketball program he started this summer with the town recreation department, said Mayor Tim Dougherty.

“I am grateful for knowing Jesse and calling him my friend. May he rest in peace,” the mayor said.

Online tributes praised White as a gentleman who helped them cope with losses in their lives. “God is the greatest!” was his favorite saying, according to his family.

“Full of life and energy,” is how Morristown Councilwoman Toshiba Foster described White.

“He was very passionate about working with the youth in our community, in efforts to mentor them and keep them focused on the positive aspects in life,” Foster said.

White had looked forward to staying involved with the Cauldwell Playground basketball program every summer, she added.

Born and raised in Morristown, White was the son of James and Leona White. After attending public schools he continued his education at the County College of Morris in Randolph.

He was a father of nine children — six with his first wife, the late Michele Harris-White, and three with Christine Coarse-Samuels, who he married in 2003.

In addition to his wife, White is survived by his daughters Chana, Vena (Willie), Latifah McCauley (Eric), Choman, and Heidi; and his sons Aron and Rahman. His son Hanif White and daughter Hope Samuels pre-deceased him.

He also leaves his sisters Ramona Barnes (Michael) and Jacqueline Brooks (Earl) and brother Patrick White (Terri); his sister Lisa White pre-deceased him. White also had 21 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, at 10 Martin Luther King Ave. in Morristown.

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