Hazel Trinidad White

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Hazel White, who passed away on August 2, 2026 at the age of 92. Hazel was born on April 27, 1934 in Jordan Valley, OR to Lorenzo Arritola and Rosario Madariaga. Hazel was the youngest of 3 children, Lawrence and Pauline. Hazel lived in DeLamar, Idaho up to the death of her father in 1940 who worked at the DeLamar Mine. Hazel started elementary school in DeLamar at the age of 5 because according to her “the teacher told her mother to send Hazel to school with her sister as she would have any other kid to play with as everyone else would be in school.” After her father’s death the family moved into Jordan Valley. In 1942, her mother married Jose (Joe) Bilbao and they went on to raise the family in the same house where they took on the laundry from the local motels. She would often tell stories of spending her summers on the ranch with Uncle Paul Arritola and also being in “sheep camp” with Joe Bilbao. Hazel would go to school in Jordan Valley and graduate high school at the age of 17.

She married Wayne White in August 1952. They lived at the White Horse Ranch for a short time as Wayne had a job running heavy equipment to clear land on the ranch. In December of 1952, Wayne started working for ODOT on the highway maintenance crew and they lived at ODOT’s Basque Camp along Hwy 95. They had their first child, David in 1954, followed by Jesse in 1958. In 1960, they moved to Ontario where Joe was born in 1962. A few short months later they would move the whole family back to Jordan Valley where Hazel lived the rest of her life.

Hazel was a full-time mom and drove the school bus for a short period of time when all of the boys were in school. She loved to hunt, fish, and in general do anything that had to do with being outdoors. But anyone that knew her, would know that fishing was by far and away her favorite thing to do. Well, that and take care of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If she could do both at the same time it was an early look at heaven for her. Hazel (Nanny) raised 3 generations of children in that big rock house in Jordan Valley and each generation remembers it with great fondness. They knew that whenever they showed up they would get a big hug and a full belly. She was known to never refuse a guest at her house for a meal and something to drink. No matter what was going on she would just set one more place at the table and welcome whoever had shown up. Hazel was fiercely proud of Jordan Valley and would tell anyone that asked, and some that didn’t, that Jordan Valley was the best place in the world to live. She went to every sporting event that happened in Jordan Valley and was a Mustang supporter to her final breath.

Hazel was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, her husband Wayne and her daughter-in-law Pam (Jesse). Hazel is survived by her sons; David White, Jesse White, and Joe (Sherrie) White. She had 4 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren whom she loved to the very last day and beyond.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 1PM at the Jordan Valley High Desert Bible Church. Graveside service to follow at the cemetery with dessert and coffee at the Parish Hall afterwards. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Hazel’s name to Jordan Valley High School Athletics, PO Box 99, Jordan Valley, OR 97910.