Father John Bernard White came to Fruita from St. Philomena's in Denver when Father Poirier took a vacation to his home in Canada, but was then detained there and unable to return because of the Great War.
According to Father Hickey, he was here only during the winter months but still earned the love and respect of the parishioners. He was responsible for organizing the biggest Bizaar in Fruita's history in December of 1914.
He left and went to St. Columba's in Durando in March of 1915 where he stayed until 1919. He enlisted in the Army as a Chaplain at the end of WWI. After his return he suffered from an "eye ailment" and went home to Pennsylvania.
He died there in 1941.
The photo of Father White is from his 1923 passport found on Ancestry.com.