Ronda White

Ronda T. White age 69, passed away on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at her home surrounded by her family. A celebration of life (date and time to be announced) will be held sometime in August, close to Ronda’s birthday.

Ronda was born on August 17, 1956 in Puyallup, Washington to Glen (Dutch) Myers and Thelma (Thornton) Myers. She was raised in Baker City, Oregon and attended school there.

She married William (Bill) Searles on February 8, 1974. They had three children together; Gail, Jason, and Aimee. Her second marriage was to Robert White on November 5, 1994. She spent her early years being a mother, painting houses and working in retail.

Ronda had many hobbies. Everyone knew that she was a talented cook and had a restaurant for a time in Baker City. She loved traveling and seeing new places, always trying to find the best lattes and bakeries. She enjoyed the ocean and her yearly trips to the Oregon coast and memorable trips to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. She also had a green thumb and always had beautiful flowers and an abundant garden. Sliced garden tomatoes and watermelon were her favorite summer treats. She took a particular interest in native medicinal plants like Elderberry, Echinacea, Borage and Mullein. Another of her favorite lifetime hobbies was art. She took up painting in the early 80’s and found solace in it. She was always looking at things from an artist perspective, and would gather things for multimedia art. Ronda also loved jewelry making and went on several trips with her grandsons to mine for gems.

When her vision was still good, she spent a lot of time reading and always surrounded herself with books of all kinds. Ronda was a firm believer in accountability. She had a demanding nature paired with a strong work ethic and high standards, and she believed that being accountable and honest would always pay off. She was the epitome of “tough love” and yet everyone came to her for advice. She would always be an ear for anyone who needed to talk and would help if she could. She truly wanted for people to be their best.

One of Ronda’s greatest accomplishments was her education. Having dropped out of high school, she learned the value of education and earned her bachelor’s degree.

Ronda is survived by her children, Gail VanSickel, Jason Searles, and Aimee (Jared) Johnson; ten grandchildren Tyler, Jordan, Kayla, Wesley, Marley, Madison, Reece, Lillee, Tehvee, and Lucee; seven great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents Dutch and Thelma, her first husband Bill, her second husband Robert, brothers Denny and Steve, and sisters Glenda and Terri.

For those who would like to make a memorial donation in honor of Ronda, the family requests donations be made to Best Friends of Baker through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. 

Online condolences can be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com