Obituary: Susan White MBE dies aged 70

Obituary: Susan White MBE dies aged 70

Meat Management is sorry to report the death of past BDCI chair Susan White MBE. Mrs White passed away at her home suddenly on Wednesday evening 12th May. She celebrated her 70th birthday in 2020, although the planned surprise celebrations were curtailed due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Susan White MBE pictured at a Smoothfield Homes residents BBQ, which was organised by her and husband Graham at their home in 2003.

Highly regarded and praised for her charity work, and the wife of Graham White the well-known entrepreneur butcher behind the highly successful Porky Whites sausage and meat products brand,  Susan White MBE stepped down as chair of the Butchers’ & Drovers’ Charitable Institution (BDCI) in 2015 after being involved with the charity for over 35 years.

During her time with the BDCI, Susan undertook various roles including her later role as chair of the charity. For many years Susan was actively involved with the residents of the charity’s Smoothfield residential homes in Hounslow. Eventually however much of the property was sold off and, reflecting changing times, the number of ‘meat trade’ tenants substantially reduced at Hounslow as the charity took up a new national strategy of helping more dependents throughout the UK. In 1994 she was awarded an MBE for her charity work, including her BDCI activities.

At the time of stepping down from the BDCI as chair, Susan told Meat Management: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time working for the BDCI and everything I was involved with. In the early years I helped fundraise for the South West London Butchers Association, and organised many fund raising barbecues both then and over the years since, these very often numbered more than 200 people attending.”

Working with industry stalwart the late Ken Clements MBE, they were both regarded by many as the two leading lights of the BDCI. Susan worked tirelessly to support the residents and to help with fundraising and to support the BDCI festival chairman – an elected post taken up each year with fundraising responsibility. Susan was always available to help those in need and also enjoyed the social side of the meat industry. In particular the organisation’s annual Charity Gala Festival Dinner, which in times past enjoyed great success under her direction and superb organisation.

Graham Yandell, the publisher of Meat Management, and himself a past festival chairman of the BDCI commented: “I am absolutely devastated to hear this tragic news. Susan has been taken away from us far too young. She was one of the nicest, kindest and most honourable people I have ever had the privilege to meet. To call her my friend was an honour and so special. We have actually been the best of friends for 40 years as have our families. My wife Sharon and I enjoyed such happy days with Susan and Graham in the past, particularly pre-Covid, and the loss will be keenly felt, not just by us but by all her knew and loved her.

“Susan was a fantastic asset to the charity and helped steer the organisation through a changing world and some difficult times. I always found Susan to be a very caring person who put others first, and she genuinely did care about our industry charity and was not a faceless committee member, but properly involved. Susan has given selflessly of her time for no commercial benefit to herself or her family and we shall not see her like again. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Graham and all the family.”

Susan leaves her husband Graham, and three daughters, Carla, Fran and Alex, plus five grandchildren. Details of funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.

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