Douglas Gaylon White was born June 30, 1928 to Douglas and Vivian Jones White, and he grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. He played first chair oboe with the Shreveport Symphony while attending Centenary College, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. Shortly after graduating from Centenary, he met his wife of 63 years, Beatrice Coleman, and they were married on August 27, 1950. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army Security, both during and after the Korean War. After completing his active duty, he began his career in the energy industry in Houston, where he was an energy economist and was active in all areas of the petroleum industry, including pipelining of coal slurry and development of shale oil. He also served as an advisor in development of the U.S. Department of Energy and was a member of the American Petroleum Institute and Association of Petroleum Economists. After 38 years, Gaylon retired from Texas Eastern Corporation. He and Bea then moved to Harleton, and made their home on land that had been in his family for five generations. During retirement he was involved in the community, serving as president of the Harleton Chamber of Commerce and was also instrumental in the opening of a bank in Harleton. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Marshall, Marshall Rotary, the Harrison County Historical Museum Board of Directors, and represented Harrison County on the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. He was also active in the Republican Party of Harrison County and was a longtime precinct chairman and a Board Member of the Emergency Service District #8 in Harleton. He enjoyed traveling, good food, caring for his Black Angus Cattle and donkeys, Doc and Domino, as well as being with family and friends. Gaylon is survived by his wife Beatrice Coleman White; children David and Sarah White of Longview, Susan White of Whitefish, Montana, Paul and Kristie White of Kingwood; grandchildren, Laura and Ray Uhir of Austin, Henry White of Austin, Miranda and Talin Crow of Kingwood, and Travis White, a student at A&M, Galveston; as well as sister-in-law Mildred Coleman of Shreveport; and cousins Freddie Jean Burke, Stephen Jones, and Stephanie Harris. Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Friday, January 24, 2014, at Downs Funeral Home Chapel in Marshall. Interment will follow in Center Cemetery in Harleton. Visitation for family and friends will be 5-7 p.m., Thursday, January 23rd at Downs Funeral Home. The family requests any memorials be made to Heartsway Hospice or to the Harrison County Historical Museum.