Monterey White

Monterey McCall White

July 18, 1944 - December 24, 2025

Born in Gatesville, Texas to Richard and Melba McCall. Richard McCall was in Gatesville training to be a B-17 pilot for the Army Air Corps. Being a WWII bomber pilot flying over Europe ended his life, but his B-17 repair man William Nakunas had learned about Melba and met and married her after the war. William was the only Dad that Monterey ever knew. Melba's family came to California with the 49's and settled in Brown's Valley, running a hotel and eatery, and Melba was the third generation born there, but WWII made Monterey a native Texan and she has used that to her advantage after growing up in Carmichael, California.

Monterey started college at Berkeley (UC) where she met Richard White in September 1962, and the two have been together ever since. Married on January 30, 1965, her mother's birthday. After Richard graduated from Berkeley the two went to Madison Wisconsin for 4.5 years where Monterey received her education degree and teacher's license. She taught English in Orfordville, Wisconsin, for 3 semesters where the seniors were volunteering to fight in Viet Nam but lived in Madison where the students were protesting the war. What a contrast!

From Madison, Richard and Monterey moved to Schenectady, NY, where their first two children, William and Jacqueline, were born while Richard worked for GE R&D. Monterey's love for dogs showed strongly in Schenectady, getting two Saint Bernards: Charlie and Roman. Monterey and Richard did not like the snow and cold of either Madison or Schenectady, Richard found a job working for Exxon Chemical in Baytown, Texas, and in 1974 they moved to Texas and are still in Texas 51 years later.

Living a block from Taylor Lake in El Lago, they just had to have a boat and waterski with the children, starting when the Texas born youngest Megan was only 1 year old in 1976. Water skiing and camping in Colorado each summer occupied many weekends and summer vacations until Monterey's attention turned to teaching when Megan was 9. A black lab, Paladine, was Monterey's puppy and dog of choice. Monterey worked at Megan's elementary school until Megan graduated. Then Monterey moved to Clear Lake High School and worked almost 20 years there teaching 10th, then 11th (for 14 years) and finally 12th, (1 year only). All three children went to Clear Lake High, and she guided them to the right teachers for each. Megan and Jackie are extremely different and took the opposite type of teacher for them to succeed. Both would have failed if they had the wrong type of teacher. Both succeeded.

Outside of teaching and family Monterey did coach soccer for Megan and Jackie and then went on to referee soccer after years coaching. She was noticed and got a chance to be the line judge at a professional international match held in the Astrodome. Then Monterey moved to horses, first one for her, then a second one for Jackie. She moved from being just a tenant at the Seabrook stables to being a co-manager then sole manager of stables in Taylor Lake Village and Seabrook. A pair of golden retrievers brothers Casey and Bomber graced us in the 90s and made it to White Oak Farm that we purchased in 1997.

Monterey retired from teaching in June of 2001 and we were finally able to start building on White Oak Farm. Monterey was into photography and took photos and made a thick album of all the building from the low water crossing (October 2001), to the house and barn (May - December 2002), to the addition for her dad William Nakunas in 2004, to the garage in 2005, to the horse stall addition in 2007. Horses, Dogs, and family occupied her efforts, and the new house and barn crew lounge provided spaces for emphasis on having family to the county in Chappell Hill on White Oak Farm. Three rescued dogs: Darby, Bonnie, and Chaser occupied Monterey's need for dogs during 2002 - 2011.

She was in the class of 2006 for the Gideon Lincecum Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist (TMN). This led to her taking part in the outdoor classroom that the TMN conducted at Lake Summerville. Being a retired teacher, this was a love of hers, but her back gave out and she could no longer stand to provide the teachings. However, her love of labs led her to Classic Labs in Chappell Hill and she obtained five labs from 2010 (Bailey) to 2017 (Rocket). Her back got worse over the years and finally in August 2017 she bought a wheelchair and used it until she started Hospice care in July 2024. She continued Hospice care through her passing on December 24, 2025, getting ever so slowly worse each month. But Rocket became an indoor dog the month that Monterey entered Hospice care and would stay with Monterey until the end, lying beside her bed. Instead of flowers, please give a donation to Hospice Brazos Valley at https://www.hospicebv.org/ at the "Donate Now" option.

Monterey's viewing is at Memorial Oaks Chapel at 1306 West Main Street, Brenham, TX 77833 from 5 to 7 PM on Monday, December 29, 2025. Burial is at 10 AM on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at the Masonic Cemetery, 10357 Old Chappell Hill Road, Chappell Hill, Texas, 77426. She will be buried next to her mother Melba Nakunas and dad William Nakunas.