Scott Everett White

Scott Everett White, 66, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, March 28, 2020, following his long fight against cancer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Arlene White. He is survived by his loving wife, Linda (Damron) White; brother Allen (Connie) White; niece Jody (Shawn) Mahoney and her children (Jake, Ella, and Lily); stepchildren John (Deb) and Michael (Kara) Landefeld; and his grandchildren Alaina, Juliana, Jacob, and Elizabeth (“Lizzie”).

A master mechanic and “jack-of-all-trades”, there was seemingly no machine he couldn’t fix; from a lawnmower sabotaged by his youngest stepson to avoid mowing the grass to complex aircraft engines and systems, Scott fixed them all and with little effort.

Scott was well known for his love of airplanes, and spent his entire adult life working with them. Enlisting in the United States Air Force at 18 years old, Scott served as a crew chief for C-130s in the South Pacific stationed in Guam and the Philippines. After his term of service Scott was a pilot for several years with Executive Jet, transporting a variety of public and private figures all over the globe and accumulating seemingly impossible stories (like being given a new, unopened package of underwear by Paul Newman because he overheard Scott complaining about forgetting to pack any). Tired of “living out of a suitcase”, Scott opened his own aircraft maintenance shop first at Rickenbacker Airport in Columbus before eventually building a hangar and moving his business to just down the driveway. During all this time Scott would work on restoring antique aircraft and spent the last 20 plus years of his career almost exclusively doing restorations on Boeing-Stearman Model 75 airplanes.

Scott’s talent for restoration work was legendary and unmatched. Nobody possessed the same level of attention to detail and skilled craftsmanship, as evidenced by his winning the 2004 Rolls-Royce Aviation Heritage Trophy; an award given for aircraft deemed the most historically accurate based on criteria developed by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum and permanently enshrined in the museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Fairfax County, Virginia. Other award-winning restorations of Scott’s include a Globe GC-1 Swift when he was first out of the Air Force, an Aeronca L-16, and a 1936 Hudson Terraplane truck.

In addition to his love of airplanes, Scott will be remembered for his love of fishing, hunting, and all things outdoors; his love of dogs (especially beagles and golden retrievers); his sense of humor and love of pranks; and his unbelievable work ethic. Most importantly, Scott will be remembered by most as someone with an infectious laugh who was always ready to lend a helping hand when needed. He was loved and will be missed.

A celebration of Scott’s life will be held later this year. Condolences can be sent to olivercheekfuneralhome.com or Oliver-Cheek Funeral Home, 420 W. Main St. Ashville, Ohio 43103. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or charity of choice.

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