Obituary of Alberte White

Alberte White, who was active in local church and symphony choirs in Duluth for nearly 50 years, passed away on Nov. 18, 2014 at Solvay Hospice House. She was born Dec. 25, 1922 in Quebec City, Canada, to Albert and Laurence Nadeau. When Alberte turned 13, her family moved to Montreal, Quebec. In her teens, Alberte began taking voice lessons. She received a degree in Commercial Secretary Work from a business school and got a job immediately upon graduation at Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., in Montreal. There she worked as a secretary, cashier and accountant before being promoted as a private secretary to the manager. Fluent in her native French language as well as English, she took Spanish lessons with the thought of someday working at a foreign embassy. In 1950, she met her future husband, Trevor White, in Montreal during a game of tennis. The two were married at Montreal's Maisonneuve Presbyterian church on April 7, 1951. She continued to work at Metropolitan Life until May, 1951, when the couple moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Trevor took a job as a naval architect at the American Shipbuilding Company. In Cleveland, she worked as a secretary at an auto parts supply firm and magazine sales company. The couple had two children, Trevor Lawrence and Brian, and settled in the Cleveland suburb of Parkview. For many years, Alberte was active in community church choir in Parkview and sang numerous solos at church services and other musical events. The family moved to Duluth in 1964, when Trevor joined Fraser-Nelson Shipyards in Superior, as Director of Engineering. In Duluth, Alberte joined the Glen Avon Presbyterian Church Choir, where she was active for 46 years and sang many solos for regular services, funerals and other occasions. She furthered her vocal and other musical activities in the local Schubert Club and continued to take weekly voice lessons into her 80's. In the late 1960's, Alberte became a member of Duluth-Superior Symphony Chorus, participating in dozens of staged productions through May, 2010. When she ended her association with the chorus, she had been one of their longest serving members. A highlight of her musical career was the symphony choir's 1980 "Choral Masterworks" tour, when she sang for audiences in London, Vienna, Salzburg and Linz. Alberte was also active in the Duluth Woman's Club and Matinee Musicals. In later years, she enjoyed regular trips with friends to the Minneapolis Opera in St. Paul and enjoyed traveling to Montreal, Quebec City, Oregon, California and Arizona to see family. Alberte was a devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother and will be greatly missed by all who loved her. Alberte was preceded in death by three infant children, Trevor, Sylvie and Laurence, shortly after their triplet births in 1952; her parents; two brothers, Claude and Roger Nadeau and a sister, Yolande Lesage all of Montreal, Canada. She is survived by her husband, Trevor of Duluth; two sons. Trevor L. (Kathy) of Sun City, Ariz., and Brian of Portland Ore.; two grandchildren, Sara (Jason) Stevens and Ryan White all of Phoenix; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. GATHERING OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Monday, Nov. 24, in Glen Avon Presbyterian Church, 2105 Woodland Ave. Arrangements entrusted to Cremation Society of Minnesota, 218-624-5200