Margaret Harriet White, 101, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family on Sunday, December 12, 2021. Born November 23, 1920 in Rhame, North Dakota, Margaret was the daughter of the late Milton and Alta (Plummer) Derby and grew up in Bowman, ND. She had fond memories of the wind and the meadowlark songs, macaroni & tomatoes at a friend's house, and tunneling through snowdrifts in the winter of 1936. She attended Pasadena Jr. College and was pleased that her 1939 yearbook had Jackie Robinson's photo, whose class was a year behind hers. She loved relating friends' conversations, and seeing famous people in person such as Bob Hope, Norris Dolvin, and Bing Crosby. Enlisting in the Navy November 1944, her platoon was served breakfast in bed Christmas Day. Then she met the real Navy, and trained in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Transferring to the Navy Department Building in Washington, D.C, her typing speed got her assigned to the fourth, and only air-conditioned, floor where all the Senior Naval Officers were located. Following her Honorable Discharge in August 1946, she worked on a Naval Base in San Diego where, in 1947, she met and married her husband, Ellis White, who was a 30-year career Navy Officer. In later life, she was an accomplished seamstress and knitter, and studied holistic health, diet, and spiritual healing. A lifelong reader, she believed wisdom in life did not occur until 50, and held strong opinions about health, religion, and politics. She was never afraid to share her knowledge. She especially loved eating out and traveling. Surviving are her sons, Bruce (Kathy) White, Dana (Barbara) White, Kurt (Corazon) White, eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband in 2004. Calling is Monday, January 10, 2022 from 5 pm to 7 pm at FairHaven Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 6557 N. Clinton Street. Burial with Military Honors is 2 pm, Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made Humane of Fort Wayne.