Beth Ann White

Beth Ann White Beth Ann (Smith) White (1965-2022) died of a sudden heart attack on October 19, 2022, in Rhode Island where she and her husband F. John White had gone to attend the funeral of a friend. In addition to her husband, Beth is survived by her parents, Carol and John Smith, John’s children Rick Smith (Linsley) grandchildren Brynn & Hayden; Kelly White Fuller (Nathan); Maggy Moira White (Corey Miller,) grandchildren Hannah, Otis, Jacob & Robin; Beth’s niece Aimee Lorenzon, nephew Alex Lorenzon, a number of other family members, her four dogs Grady, Duffy, Lucee & Michelle and of course, many dear friends in the Philadelphia area and around the country. Beth was loved by all who knew her. She never tired of trying to help those in need of some type of comfort and also supported animal causes. Beth grew up in Roxborough and spent her summers in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. She graduated from John Hallahan Girls High School and earned her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, attending night classes while she was working full time. The early years of her career were spent in finance, working first at MGIC, then at the PFM Group, Brown Brothers, First Union Bank and, for a time, as the temporary CEO of the Philadelphia SPCA while it was searching for a new leader. Beth loved dogs and was active in the SPCA International’s efforts to reunite soldiers with dogs they had adopted while in combat zones. Department of Defense regulations prevented the soldiers from bringing their adopted dogs home. Beth traveled with SPCAI colleagues to Beirut, Lebanon several times to help coordinate the SPCAI’s efforts with Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) to bring dogs to America to join with their soldiers. Beth often remarked that the expressions on the faces of the soldiers and the dogs when reunited made this effort one of her life’s great thrills. Beth loved to travel and visited most of the countries in Europe and North America. She was an avid reader of romance novels and crime mysteries. This accounted for her favorite television shows being Friends and Law and Order. During the latter stages of her career Beth managed two businesses. First the Wissahickon Stone Quarry, the last authentic Wissahickon Shist quarry in the area and probably in America. This was a family business that had been closed. Beth reopened the quarry, brought the mining permits up to date and increased its sales and production. She managed it initially with her parents and then with her nephew Alex Lorenzon who now handles the operations. Just before the onset of the Pandemic, Beth had also opened the 1859 Spa in Manayunk along with her friend Beverly Weaver. The Spa was forced to close at the beginning of the Pandemic. It reopened last year and is thriving today on Main Street. Beth and John loved having dinner parties for friends in their Chestnut Hill home. Beth was a great cook, but they also had larger parties catered by their friend Bruce Cooper of Jakes in Manayunk so Beth could enjoy her natural role as the life of the party. Beth will be missed by all who knew her and the radiant smile she brought to every encounter. Funeral Mass Thursday, Nov. 3rd, 10AM at St. John the Baptist Church, 119 Rector St., Phila., PA 19127. A memorial reception will follow at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, 415 W. Willow Grove Ave., Phila., PA 19118. In lieu of flowers or other tributes, please send contributions to BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) https://www.betalebanon.org You can livestream the Funeral Mass by using the following link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60QwOp-fWPk