Rose Marie (Sibley) White, 87, of York, formerly of Old Forge, Moosic, York, and Allentown, died Tuesday, October 1, in the Memory Care Unit of the Haven at Springwood retirement community in York after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

Born in Old Forge, on November 17, 1931, she was a daughter of the late James G. Sibley and Petronella "Etta" (Bartuska) Sibley.

She was the widow of William R. White, who died in 2000. The couple were married for 48 years before his death.

A 1949 graduate of Moosic High School, Mrs. White worked for a short time in a sewing machine factory in Old Forge before she was married in 1952 and became a full-time homemaker, wife and mother.

She was a former member of the Moosic Presbyterian Church in Moosic, where she was married and was a beloved Sunday School teacher for several years before moving to York in 1969, the Eastminster Presbyterian Church in York from 1969 to 1973, the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown from 1973 to 2013, and the Red Lion Bible Church from 2013 until her passing. She also was a member and Past President of the Mother's Circle of the Allentown Chapter of DeMolay International, where she served from 1975-1982 before women could be advisors in DeMolay.

She also was a registered Tupperware saleswoman for a few years in the 1970s and took occasional piano lessons for fun, although she never played outside of her home. She enjoyed listening to all kinds of music with her husband, who had been a professional trumpet player in various Big Bands in the Scranton area for 25 years, and reading romance novels, or "those funny books," as she liked to call them.

During her younger years, Mrs. White enjoyed playing and collecting marbles, bowling, playing pinochle, cooking, baking and canning, collecting porcelain cups and saucers, and traveling with her husband.

Rose will be remembered most for her beautiful smile and manners and how she would shun the limelight but would then become the life of every party she attended. She was beloved by many and will be missed by all who knew her for even a short period of time.

She is survived by her two sons, William R. of York and Edward J. and his wife, Debra M., both of Allentown, three grandchildren, Nicholas A. of Brooklyn, NY, Tiffany N. of East Hampton, NY, and Emily M. of York, along with several nieces, nephews and cousins and their spouses and children. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her sisters Mildred R. Bennie and Eleanor M. Neiper, brothers James J. Sibley and George W. Sibley, all formerly of Old Forge, and nephews James and John Sibley of Virginia Beach, VA.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, October 8 ^th at 11:00 a.m. at the Red Lion Bible Church, 105 Springvale Road, Red Lion, PA, to be followed by a graveside service at 2:30 p.m. at the family plot located in the Grandview Cemetery, 2735 Walbert Avenue in Allentown. Calling hour 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 8, at the church in Red Lion. A Memorial Service is being planned for a later date to be held in Allentown for those who cannot attend the services on October 8.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Red Lion Bible Church, First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, Moosic Presbyterian Church, the Alzheimer's Association, Lehigh Valley Branch in Hellertown or South-Central Regional Office in Harrisburg, or Allentown DeMolay.