A life of love, travel and creative tales

Deepa Bharath

Richard White was a man of few words.

But when he spoke, he used them well. That’s probably what made

him one of the leading labor law attorneys in the area.

Richard came to Newport Beach in 1979 to open the local branch

office of the law firm, O’Melveny and Myers. He never left Newport

Beach, because according to him, it was the perfect place to be.

The weather was really important to Richard. A gray day, in his

mind, was not a great day and a bright, sunny day was a good day.

Richard was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He graduated from Central

High School in Sioux City where he was editor of the school

newspaper, president of the student body and voted “Most Likely to

Succeed.�

He was awarded an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy at

West Point, after which he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He was

selected for Officers Candidate School and after completing basic

training and was assigned to the Third Marine Division in Okinawa,

Japan. As an infantry platoon leader, he completed a 14-month tour in the Far East. Richard resigned from the Marine Corps. in 1959. Three

years later, he graduated from Stanford Law School.

The love of Richard’s life was his wife, Beverly. They were the

family’s big love story, the one everybody liked to hear more than

once.

Richard met Beverly in San Francisco. At the time, Beverly was

staying with a woman with whom Richard was supposed to go on a date.

When he knocked on the door, Beverly opened it. For some reason, she

thought he was a magazine salesman.

The two fell in love and the rest is history, complete with a song

of their own, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.�

Richard was a good husband, who stuck by his wife’s side in good

times and bad. He took care of her for five years when she was struck

by Alzheimer’s disease. He had to give up on that endeavor when his

own health failed.

Richard was also a loving father and grandfather. He amused the

children with his own brand of humor. He would do silly dances, make

up stories and even put Christmas bows on his nose to make the little

ones laugh.

He had a way with words. When he drove, for example, he’d read a

sign that said “Watch out for falling rock.� He’d promptly make up a

story for his daughter about a princess named Falling Rock. He made

up a whole series of stories for his son.

Richard would name all the food in the house. There was Barney the

banana and George the grapefruit. Soon, the kids didn’t want to eat

the food anymore because they had assumed these larger-than-life

personalities.

Richard was a voracious reader. He enjoyed a good thriller or

bestseller. But he absolutely loved reading about history.

He traveled all around the world. He liked to be in any place

where the weather was pleasant and the landscape was pretty.

Richard also enjoyed Newport Beach. From getting a coconut shake

from a shack on Coast Highway to beer at Blackie’s By the Sea Pub and

delectable dinners at the Crab Cooker, he loved it all.

When people asked him where he wanted to retire, he’d ask them

right back: “I’m in the perfect place. Why would I want to go

anywhere else?�