Arda Esther White

Arda E. White, 88, died peacefully in her sleep in Santa Ana, California, after a recent hospitalization on February 12. She had been hospitalized several times over the past few months and was in numerous skilled nursing facilities.


Arda was born in Tallinn, Estonia, the fourth child of five. She went to grammar school in Estonia and Poland, and attended high school in Germany. She later attended Sawyer Business School in Los Angeles, CA. She earned an Advanced Modeling Certificate from Caroline Leonetti Ltd of Hollywood CA in 1954. Arda completed some college coursework at Irvine Valley College in CA. Arda was fluent in three languages, Estonian, German, and English.


As a ballerina and dancer, Arda performed in various productions in Germany. After WWII, she and her family came to America via Ellis Island, New York in 1953. She later became a naturalized US Citizen. Her first job was in a chocolate factory. She did some modeling and wanted to be a dress designer. She ended up in the banking and later savings and loan industries. Her last full-time job was as a full-charge bookkeeper for BP Oil in Los Angeles. She was good with numbers and could balance a checkbook to the penny.


She met and married her husband, James H. White in Los Angeles in 1957. They had a one daughter, and after 18 years of working, she settled down to become a full-time housewife and mother. In her spare time, she helped her husband in his insurance agency. She was a volunteer prayer counselor at Angeles Temple, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and together with her husband, performed church services in nursing homes. They also helped various religious organizations. Arda and her husband also remodeled and sold many homes in the Southern California area.

Arda loved her family, especially her two grandsons, and took care of them when they were infants and preschoolers. She enjoyed cooking and entertaining. She collected material and sewed her own clothes and her daughters, and always looked sharp. She had a knack for decorating and had a green thumb. She was an animal lover and had many pets throughout the years. She had a strong personal faith in God, attended church regularly, and shared her faith with family and friends. She enjoyed reading her Bible and listening to and watching religious programs.


Due to her health, and her husband's, the couple moved into assisting living five years ago. Arda missed her former home and independence greatly, and subsequently suffered various health issues. After a rapid decline in her health, Arda passed away quietly in Santa Ana, California, on February 12th. She is is now with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and is reunited with family and friends. Arda is survived by her husband, James H. White, her sister, Maud C. Wahl, daughter, Kyra V. Ytzen, Son-in-law, Richard J. Ytzen, and two grandson's Richard J. Ytzen, IV (RJ), and James P. Ytzen.


Arda's funeral will be on March 3, 2018 at 10:00 am at the Little Church of the Flowers at Forest Lawn Glendale. A grave site service is to follow the funeral. A luncheon is planned for family and close friends. Flowers may be sent to the funeral. Arda was a lover of all things beautiful!