RICHARD "COACH" WHITE

9/14/1944 - 1/12/2020

Beloved husband to Judith White of Salem Willows, passed away peacefully on Sunday, 1/12/2020.

Born in Somerville, Ma to the late William Sr. and Helen White, Richard is survived by his wife of 54 years Judith A. (Bresnahan) White, his sons Richard (Jay) P. Jr & Claudine White, Christopher &  Ann White, Casey & Heather White and their families.  Coach was an extremely proud Grandparent and Great Grandparent to Brandon, Kaitlyn & Bennett White, Haley White, Karli White, Alex White and Josie White.  He is also survived by his four brothers, William White, Jr. and companion Betty, Edward White and wife Nancy, Robert White and wife Jeanne, and Kenneth White and wife Jill, as well as a large family of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Richard grew up in Woburn, Ma and graduated from Woburn High School in 1963.  He played hockey and football as a Woburn Tanner.  He would attend the Woburn Thanksgiving Day games religiously with his sons and brothers over the years, but his passion was ice hockey.

Richard and Judi moved to Salem Willows in 1972.  Despite the ongoing battle with the ocean vs 3 Cheval Ave., Richard was thrilled to get involved in community and neighborhood activities.  He began coaching Salem Youth Hockey in 1973.  He coached all three of his boys along with many "hockey sons" through all levels and internationally.  His love for hockey didn't stop through his years. He loved his Montreal Canadiens! The favorite, friendly rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins was a constant bet within the family.   The phone calls after the game usually included the phrase "Shall we let it ride?"  In addition to his time coaching youth hockey in in Salem, some highlights of his coaching career were, coaching the St. Charles Children's home team in a Bruins Alumni game when he coached against the Bruins Alumni dawning his favorite Montreal Canadiens hat and, along with his wife Judi and their sons, Jay, Chris and Casey, coached Team USA hockey teams to compete in Europe three times.  Although he was a coach to many, in 1999 his first Grandchild was born and so was born the nickname "Coach" to all of his Grandchildren.  He loved his grandchildren like no other.  He attended all of their birthdays, graduations and sporting events…Hockey, Dance, Karate, Lacrosse, Basketball, Softball, Soccer and Football.  One of his favorite hockey memories was watching Jay, Chris and Casey playing together on the ice for The Budmen!  He also enjoyed playing Golf, enjoying lots of golf outings with his cousin Paul Hogan and great friend Dewey.  He took any opportunity to play with his boys as well.

After many years of convincing Richard to sail the Caribbean, he eventually caved in and thoroughly enjoyed his Caribbean cruises with Judi, and a crew of friends.  Their destinations through BVI included stops in Rhode Town Tortola, Levrick Bay on Virgin Gorda, Anagada, and White Bay on Jost van Dyke.  The pictures are worth a thousand words and the memories are priceless.

Richard was a very hardworking man.  He worked for Raytheon for more than 20 years.  He then worked for Irving Oil Co. at the Revere terminal until his retirement in 2014.  Between times, during all those years, he was also the smiling face at the door of the Chase House on Pickering Wharf, Salem and was a member of the security team at several concert venues in the Boston Area including Great Woods, The Boston Garden, Harborlights Pavilion, the Orpheum and Tanglewood to name a few.

Judi would like to thank all of her children and their spouses for their help along this journey and all of our friends and neighbors for their support.  Special thank-you to Maureen Hentosh for being friend, confidant and rock.

Visiting hours will be held at Murphy Funeral Home at 85 Federal Street, Salem, MA 01970, on Monday, 1/20/2020, from 4pm to 8pm.  A private celebration of his life will be held at a later date.  In memory of Richard P. White, donations can be made to:  Alzheimer's Association; Attn:  Part the Cloud; 2290 N. 1st St., Suite 101; San Jose, CA  95131.  Parthecloud@alz.org. Flowers can be sent and guestbook can be signed by visiting https://www.murphyfuneralhome.com/obituary/Richard-White .