Funeral Details

Victoria Ann White


Victoria Ann White passed away on November 18, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois following a brave three-year battle with cancer. She was 78 years old. Her husband of 56 years, Alan Richard White, passed away just a few months earlier in June 2024. She is survived by her son Bruno John White (Banu) and daughter, Natasha Louise Edwards (Craig); and grandchildren Lara, Kenan, Hakan, Eleanor and Amelia.


Vicky was born in Bromley in the United Kingdom, the daughter of Jack and Marjorie Emily Clarke. She was the first in her immediate family to attend university. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1968, and then a Master of Arts in Mathematics in 1973 from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Vicky married Alan in 1967 while attending university.


Vicky was a devoted wife, caring mother, and beloved grandmother. She was a great appreciator of the arts, regularly attending the theater and opera and enjoyed listening to classical music. Vicky loved to garden, carefully tending to plants and flowers in every home she lived in. And despite moving across seas, Vicky kept up relationships, including visits with friends and family in the United Kingdom. She was generous to her extended family, colleagues, and friends alike.


Vicky first moved with Alan to the United States in the early 1970s for his two-year fellowship. Vicky had a position at Fermi National Accelerator Lab (now Fermilab) in the Computing Department and then the Particle Data Group at Berkeley in California. In 1975, the couple moved to Echenevex, France with Vicky and Alan working at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Vicky focused on computer programming while Alan worked in theoretical physics. Vicky also used her time there to further expand her excellent cooking skills and become fluent in French cooking and baking.


Following the birth of both of their children, Vicky and Alan made a transatlantic move to work at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. Vicky embarked on a career at Fermilab spanning more than three decades in the computing division, rising to Division Director, then to Chief Information Officer, and finally Chief Operating Officer while also serving as a Detailee to the Department of Energy and being a member of multiple particle physics collaborations.


Vicky and Alan retired to the mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina where Vicky lovingly supported Alan’s wellbeing as they both aged until they moved back to Chicago in 2023 to be close to family.


A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 7, from 12pm until 2:30pm, where you can stop by and share memories whenever you are able in the Founder’s Room - Thornhill Education Center at the Morton Arboretum in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 60137. No admission is necessary to attend the celebration of life at the Arboretum, at the gate you will be directed to the event parking.


In lieu of flowers or gifts donations are appreciated to the Morton Arboretum through their Tribute Gifts page in Vicky’s name. To make an individual tribute gift choose the option “Donation for Honoree” and provide the full name at the prompt.

Please check back for further information. Arrangements by Midtown Funeral Home and Cremation Options, 773.654.3744, www.midtownfunerals.com