Charles R. White was woodsman, then mayor

Charles R. White wasn't one to dwell over strong words.

"He never held a grudge," said his son, Charlie "Lucky" White. "He might yell at a guy one minute and be out there helping him cut firewood the next minute."

A former woodsman turned small-town mayor, the elder Mr. White wasn't shy about his convictions, either.

"You never walked away from him not knowing how he felt on a subject," said his son. "He was going to give it to you whether you wanted it or not."

Mr. White — known to most as "Charlie" — died at home Tuesday of natural causes, two days shy of his 89th birthday.

Born in Waynesville, N.C., Mr. White was the oldest of Ebed and Francis "Fanny" White's seven children. Seeking work, "Ebe" White headed west, taking his 5-year-old son with him.

On the slopes of the North Cascades in Snohomish County, the father and son found Darrington, a small timber town nestled in green mountains similar to the Great Smoky Mountains they left behind. The rest of the family followed a year later.

An enthusiastic athlete, Mr. White played on one of Darrington High School's first football teams, and he played catcher on the town's baseball team.

Mr. White graduated from Darrington High in 1932 and married Gertrude Barnard when she was 16 and he was 19. They stuck together through good times and bad. "My parents fulfilled every one of those marriage vows," daughter Michelle Vincent said.

The couple had five daughters and one son.

Mr. White worked briefly with the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and in logging operations in the Cascades. He was a renowned second loader, selecting just the right assortment of logs to pack onto a railroad car or truck bed, assembling a balanced load that held steady.

In 1969, Mr. White left the logging business and went to work for the U.S. Forest Service as a grader, maintaining mountain roads. He retired at 67.

Rarely idle, Mr. White ventured into politics and was elected mayor of Darrington when he was 70. During his 12-year tenure, he won many grants to help pay for local improvements and cover the retreat of timber dollars.

"Charlie was very much a public-works mayor," said Darrington clerk-treasurer Lyla Boyd. "He was just a small-town mayor who was more concerned about the welfare of the people instead of whether everybody liked him."

Mr. White loved baseball and football. He watched generations of Darrington High School Loggers compete, either from the sidelines or sitting in the car with his wife by his side. He also loved golf. During summers, the White family held annual golf tournaments, competing for trophies and camping en masse near links in Everett and Marysville.

Mr. White is survived by daughters Shirley Lewis and Michelle Vincent, both of Darrington, Alice Schireman of Arlington, Fran Abbott of Everett, and Sally Wagner of Aberdeen; son Lucky White of Darrington; brothers Julius "Red" White of Darrington and Clarence White of Coupeville; sister Agnes Cassels of Marysville; 13 grandchildren; and 28 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife.

Services have been held.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Charlie White Memorial Fund, Town of Darrington, P.O. Box 397, Darrington, WA 98241.

Sarah Anne Wright: swright@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2752.