Jeffrey W. "Jeff" White

Jeffrey William “Jeff” White, of Lexington died peacefully at home on Monday, June 30, 2025. His big personality was with him to the very end where he faced every obstacle with his usual undeterred spirit. He was born to the late Beverly William White II and Barbara Jean Slone White on September 4, 1959, at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina. 

Jeff (AKA Jedreaux, Hollywood, Wood, and Woodiss) lived his life to the fullest and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.  

He is survived by his soulmate and wife of 38 years Sheila Preslar White and his son Tyler Jackson White; sister Amber White Couch (Sherman); brother Matthew White (Darcy); sister-in-law Libby Preslar Miller (Joey); special cousins-in-law, Diane Gibson Patterson and Larry Dale Gibson; nieces and nephews, Kevin, Kyle, Brittany, Ian, Miranda and Erin; great nieces and nephews, Carly, Will, Wendy and Leila; and many aunts and cousins. 

Jeff was raised in Lexington and graduated from Bryan Station High School in 1977. He was an All-State athlete in football and baseball and was a second-round draft pick of the New York Yankees. He chose a full baseball scholarship to Morehead State University. He made life-long friendships with his baseball teammates and ΣΑΕ brothers. Activities he shared with them in his last years brought Jeff great joy. 

His professional career as an environmental scientist, focusing on pesticide run-off studies, took him all over the country with his team. He sometimes was accompanied by his beloved wife Sheila during these trips. 

An avid sports fan, Jeff loved watching games with family and friends. From Kentucky Basketball, NASCAR, and golf, he enjoyed following them intensively. He also loved playing chess and pool with his son Tyler.  

His artistic talents were well known in his circle of family and friends. His impressive talents included painting beautiful watercolors and creating jewelry. Jeff was also skilled at building, including deck and tile installations, where he was often accompanied by his family dog Macie in his old GMC truck.

Celebration of Life services will be held on Wednesday, July 9th at Clark Legacy Center, 601 E. Brannon Rd., Nicholasville. The visitation will occur from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00. The celebration of life service will begin at 1:00 p.m. Inurnment will follow at Lexington Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the ALS Foundation (https://www.als.org/), Bluegrass Care Navigators (https://www.bgcarenav.org/), or Team Gleason Foundation (https://teamgleason.org/).