Janice Gray White

Janice Gray White went home to be with the Lord on November 4, 2025. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1938 to parents Murray Gray (a pharmacist) and Odessa Parker Gray (a school teacher). She was the oldest of three children and an active and social child growing up in Cincinnati and Cleveland Ohio. Janice graduated from Glenville High School and attended Wooster College and Ohio State before earning her degree in French from Western Reserve. She met her forever sweetheart Amos J. White in Columbus when they both worked at the recreation center in Poindexter Village. They married on September 1, 1962 in Cleveland, raised a family in Columbus, and served the church and community together for 52 years.

With three children at home, Janice earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Capital University Law School and was admitted to the Ohio State Bar. In her legal career she was an attorney with the Ohio Nurses Assoc., administrative law judge with the State Employment Relations Board, legislative counsel with the Ohio State Legal Services Assoc., a Franklin County public defender, and an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Columbus. In 1988, she took on the role of Director of Alumni Relations and Multicultural Affairs at Capital University Law and Graduate Center, where she was instrumental in the creation of the Capital Law School Black Alumni Association and the David D. White Scholarship. She also served as Director of Development at Central Community House for several years.

An advocate of civil rights, diversity and equity, Janice volunteered, organized, or served in leadership positions for numerous initiatives and service organizations, including the YWCA, Ohio Hunger Task Force, Open Mind, the Association for the achievement of diversity in higher education; Ohio Housing Coalition, Central Community House, and League of Women Voters. She was a proud and dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Links Inc., Jack & Jill, and The Columbus Moles. Janice was an active and engaged member at the First Congregational Church United Church of Christ of Columbus, Ohio for 60 years, serving on numerous committees at the local, state and national levels, and most notably being elected the first black female Moderator of the United Church of Christ Ohio Conference in 1975. Her leadership in the church led to another distinction in 1980 - her selection as the only Ohio representative in a 50-person delegation to negotiate for the release of the American hostages in Iran during the hostage crisis. Over her lifetime she received numerous honors and awards including David D White Scholarship Award (Capital University Law & Graduate Center), First Congregational Church Lay Leadership Award (with her husband), UNCF Meritorious Service Award, and was a Columbus Bar Foundation Fellow.

Janice was a woman of faith and vocal advocate for justice who was strong, intelligent, humble, loving, and much loved. Possessing inexhaustible energy, a flare for fashion, and a monumental sweet tooth, she enjoyed reading, cooking, investigative tv shows, African-American art & culture, and had an unquenchable curiosity about people and their life stories. She is predeceased by her parents, husband Amos, and her brother Murray Gray. Survivors to cherish her memory are her daughter Janine White, sons Amos (Giorgia) White and David (Elynor) White, sister Muriel Riggins, 7 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, in-laws, and loving friends.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held Saturday, December 13, 2025 at First Congregational Church UCC, 444 E. Broad St, Columbus, Ohio. The family will receive visitors beginning at 9:45 am, followed by the service at 10:30 am. Memorial contributions can be made to the King Arts Complex (kingartscomplex.com), 835 Mt. Vernon Ave., Columbus, OH 43203

Central Community House (cchouse.org ), 1150 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43205

First Congregational Church (first-church.org), 444 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215.

To leave messages of remembrance and condolences, please visit Janice’s online memory book www.diehl-whittaker.com.