By Nicole Hamilton
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Marjorie Jean White spent her life taking care of others.

A musician and graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, she chose to help fellow musicians achieve their dreams, and in doing so fulfilled her own.

"She was very gentle and very, very friendly, and outgoing. She didn't have a fault of any kind," said her husband, Russell W. White of Washington, Ind.

"She always looked out for everyone. She put herself second or third down the line."

Mrs. White died Oct. 3 at St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville, Ind., of heart failure. The former president of the Clifton Music Club, and former longtime Clifton and Westwood resident, was 75.

Raised in Clifton, Mrs. White graduated from Hughes High School in 1946.

She continued her education at CCM, where she studied voice, piano, and radio, and television classes.

One of her screenwriting teachers was Rod Serling, who created The Twilight Zone.

After graduating, she moved with her parents to Atlanta. In 1965, the family was involved in a car accident in Tennessee in which her mother died.

She moved back to Cincinnati to care for her father in a home they bought in Westwood.

For many years, she tended to her family and was active in the Clifton Music Club, which was responsible for securing financial assistance for aspiring musicians to attend CCM. Among the students Mrs. White helped was opera singer and CCM graduate Kathleen Battle.

In 1984, Mrs. White went to Washington, Ind., to help settle the estate of a deceased aunt. There she got reacquainted with Russell W. White, whom she first met when she was 19 years old.

"We met for pie and coffee, and that's where it all started again. It was just like it never ended," said Mr. White.

They were married for 18 years.

"She was a city girl, and I'm a farmer from the country. But she did just fine out here, she rode the tractor and everything," her husband said.

Since 1996, the couple divided their time between Fort Myers, Fla., and Washington, Ind.

She was also a past member of Cincinnati Woman's Club.

Her brother, William Leimberger, preceded her in death.

Along with her husband, survivors include her sister, Barbara Babcock of Sanibel, Fla.; a stepson, Larry Preston White of Swedesboro, N.J.; a stepdaughter, Janet E. Woodhall of Phoenix; and four step-grandchildren.

Services have been held.

Burial was in Sugarland Memory Gardens, Washington, Ind.

Memorials can be made to the American Heart Association, 2936 Vernon Place, Cincinnati, OH 45219.