Robert White

Robert “Bob” White, 70, of Holliston died on Sept. 3, 2026, after a brave and brutal 10-month battle with lung cancer, with his wife, Lynn, by his side 24/7, caring for him every second. He died at home, surrounded by the people who loved him most, one day before his 71st birthday.

Bob was born on Sept. 4, 1955, in Framingham to Norman White and Miriam (Orme) White, both of whom predeceased him. One of seven children, Bob was predeceased by his sister, Patty, in 1958; his brother Michael in 2025; and his brother he was closest with, Alan, in 2011. Bob showed early in life the qualities that would come to define him, from rocking his very ill baby sister, Patty, in his arms to caring for Lynn’s family as though they were his own.

Bob is survived by the love of his life, Lynn (Aylward) White. Bob met Lynn while they both worked at Burger King as teenagers and never looked back. There was no one in the world he loved more than his wife. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December 2025, and as far as Bob was concerned, the sun rose and set with his beloved Lynn. To that end, when Lynn needed many complex surgeries, Bob never left her side. When the surgeries caused her extreme pain and often left her bedridden for years, Bob took over the shopping, cleaning and anything else that he could do to make Lynn as stress-free and comfortable as possible, and never complained.

Bob also is survived by his three children, their three spouses and three grandchildren: son Robert, daughter-in-law Ann Marie (Maimone) White and granddaughter Sophia; daughter Holly (White) Morand, son-in-law Matthew and grandchildren Dylan and Max; and daughter Alison (White) Parker, son-in-law Jason and grand-doggy Sheena. Bob also had many aunts, uncles and cousins who cared for him, especially the Aylward family of Hopkinton.

Bob was an outstanding father and grandfather. He was the kind of dad who would leave homemade chocolate chip cookies and the grandkids’ favorite foods outside his kids’ homes, or come running whenever there was a problem, whether it was at the kids’ homes, with cars or an issue all the way up in New Hampshire — even when the problem was stupid or objectively one of his kids’ faults. If anyone needed him, Bob showed up.

That was, in many ways, who Bob was. He was best known for helping anyone he cared about with anything, at any time. With a natural aptitude for engineering and mechanics, he never met an appliance he couldn’t fix. He started his own appliance repair company in the 1980s, American Commercial Appliance, and successfully ran it until his illness prevented him from working. He was beloved by his customers for his incredible work ethic, vast knowledge and determination to “not rip people off.” He believed in doing good work, treating people fairly and helping when he could.

Bob also had a deep love of animals, flowers and the outdoors. He loved fishing. Bob fished in lucky spots all over but was happiest when with his children, his brothers-in-law, Sean and Tim Aylward, or his cherished grandchildren. He loved spending time at his home in New Hampshire, especially taking out his boat and fishing on the quiet lake. At his home in Holliston, he built his own koi pond and cared for 20-30 large koi. He also transformed his backyard into an oasis, planting hundreds of flowers specifically so that something would be blooming from spring through fall. He made his yard a haven for woodland creatures, but he loved sitting outside and watching his fish swim, especially after a stressful day. He adored his three cats, as well as the many animals he loved and cared for throughout his life.

Bob spent his life caring for living things, standing up for people who needed it and showing up for the people he loved. His family will miss him, his love, his laughter, his generosity, his stubborn determination and, most of all, the certainty that if they needed him, he would be there.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Mass General Cancer Center, directed to small-cell lung cancer research. Bob’s oncologist at MGH, Dr. Jessica Lin, was paramount in the approval of the second-line treatment Bob received, which gifted his family precious additional time with him.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Sept. 11, from 4-7:15 p.m., with words of remembrance beginning at 6:30 p.m., at Chesmore Funeral Home in Holliston. A private burial will be held at a later date.

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.