Hugh James White

September 14, 1937 – February 5, 2025

Boise, Idaho

Jim White, pioneering Boise developer, a founder of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team, beloved husband, father of two, and grandfather of six, passed away surrounded by his family in the comfort of his home on February 5, 2025. He was 87.

Jim traveled at high speed, burning rubber in his 1967 red Corvette Stingray, powering a snowmobile on West Mountain, throttling his 1967 Century along Lake Cascade, and soaring through the clouds in a Cessna 210.

Jim spent his childhood on a five-acre farm in Kennydale, Washington and passed idyllic teen and college years on the shores of Lake Washington in a brick home that his father built. He took up waterskiing early in life. His feats include heroic jumps, holding the ski rope handle with his toes and teeth and slaloming the 14-mile circumference of Mercer Island. Jim hung up his ski at age 70, after doing a victory lap on Lake Cascade. He earned his driver’s license and pilot’s license at age 16 and flew for more than 35 years.

Jim graduated from Renton High School in 1955 and moved 10 miles up Lake Washington to the University of Washington. During his freshman year, he rowed for Coach Al Ulbrickson of Boys in the Boat fame. He served in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps throughout college and was president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity during his senior year. Upon earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in 1959, Jim was commissioned in the United States Navy. He spent two years working as a supply officer onboard the USS Mississinewa, an oil tanker based in Naples, Italy.

Jim earned a Master in Business Administration from Harvard University in 1963. He was recruited by Boise Cascade and managed its box plants in several states. A fateful assignment in Sunnyvale, California led Jim to meet the love of his life, Stephanie Pence, during a party at their apartment complex. They married in 1969 and relocated to Boise, where Jim managed Shelterex, a mobile-home manufacturing company, before moving into commercial real estate development with business partner Larry Leasure in 1975. Jim was president of White-Leasure Development Company until his death.

White-Leasure’s first project was Eastgate Shopping Center on Apple St. and Boise Ave. (now the D&B Supply complex). White-Leasure went on to develop Westpark Towne Plaza (Target), Northgate Shopping Center, Eagle Promenade Shopping Center (Home Depot and WinCo), Nampa Canyon Plaza, three Cineplex Odeon Theatres, and other properties in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Jim’s career culminated with the development of The Grove Hotel and its adjacent Idaho Central Arena and the founding of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team in 1996. He considered building the hotel and arena to be the capstone of his career.

White-Leasure restored some of downtown Boise’s treasures. During the 1980s, when many buildings were threatened with demolition, White-Leasure renovated and restored Boise’s 8 th Street Marketplace and the Idaho Milling and Elevator Company (Drake Cooper), the Hoff Building, the Broadbent Building, the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy, and the Bombay Grill (previously Peter Schott’s New American Cuisine) in the Idanha Hotel. White[1]Leasure won the Orchid Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation for the renovation of downtown Boise’s Alexander Building in 1988.

Jim was happiest on the water. He introduced his children, grandchildren, and friends to the wonder of boating in the Pacific Northwest’s San Juan Islands and the Inside Passage of British Columbia and Alaska. His family fondly remembers cruising next to Dall’s porpoises near Kwatsi Bay, fishing for jumbo prawns in Lagoon Cove, and jumping from the rope swing in Laura Cove. Jim owned watercraft of various sizes: Escalation (a 21-foot sailboat which he raced with Noel Fenton in the San Francisco Bay), a Sea-Doo, a Jet Ski, dinghies, an aluminum jet boat, classic wooden boats, White Cap (a fiberglass 30-foot Bayliner which he wrestled across the tumultuous Queen Charlotte Straits to Alaska in 1980), and Syringa (an ocean-going, 61-foot vessel which was the center of memorable adventures with family and friends).

Jim enjoyed snow skiing and tennis. He played men’s doubles twice per week with the same teammates into his late 80s. For more than 30 years, Jim fished for steelhead on the Salmon River with some of his closest friends. Jim faithfully cheered on the Boise State football team since the early 1970s.

Jim was a life-long collector of Lionel trains and maintained an extraordinary 600-foot layout. He delighted in giving train shows to friends and neighbors. Children left “Plasticville” wearing pink or blue souvenir engineer caps. Jim was a member of the Train Collectors Association, the Valley Corvette Club, the Payette Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Jim’s top priority in life was loving and supporting his family and friends. This devotion led to unexpected adventures, such as towing a horse trailer to California Rodeo Salinas so that his daughter Laura could perform with the Eh-Capa Bareback Riders. Another summer took him to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia as Laura concluded a year of ministry there. Jim proudly watched his son Jason start on the Stanford University Cardinal’s defensive line from 1992 to 1995. He did not miss a single Stanford game during Jason’s career. Jim and Stephanie celebrated 55 years of marriage in May 2024.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Hugh White and Agnes White, brother John “Jack” White, infant son Scott White, infant granddaughter Logan White, and nephew Troy McNeight. He is survived by his devoted wife Stephanie White, daughter Laura White Barton and her husband, son Jason White, daughter-in-law Molly Brown White, and grandchildren Mia White, Sage White, Matthew Barton, Luke Barton, Ella Barton, and Ryan Barton. Jim is also survived by his sister Jenan McNeight, nephew Todd McNeight, and niece Tami Bugni.

Jim and his family are grateful for the excellent health care provided by Dr. Clifford Tenley, Dr. Dan Zuckerman, Marci Slayden RN, Dr. Joshua Barton, Pat Burley RN, Dr. Paul Sonntag, and Tammy Walmer CNA.

 Jim White’s Celebration of Life Reception will be held on Friday, February 28 at 5 p.m. at The Grove Hotel Ballroom, 245 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, ID 83702. 

In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to make a donation to Young Life – Boise or to the charity of your choice. You can donate online to Young Life – Boise here:  https://giving.younglife.org/InMemoryOfJimWhite 

Or you can write a check to “Young Life – Boise, ID20” and send it to: Young Life – Boise, PO Box 4056, Boise, ID 83711