USAF Major Dane “Bramage” White (66) of Murfreesboro, TN passed away suddenly at his home on January 4, 2022.
He was born on October 17, 1955, in Kinder, LA to USAF Chief Master Sergeant Luvell “Lu” White and Betty (Rice) White. Dane was the second of five children and was their oldest son.
Growing up, he was inquisitive and energetic. His mother claimed he was like a “bull in a china shop.”
After Louisiana, Chief White was assigned to a succession of military installations in England, California, and Germany, where Dane became fluent in German. Being raised on Air Force bases, Dane quickly developed a fascination with airplanes. Once, while playing outfield in a baseball game, instead of keeping his eye on the batter, Dane was faced the other way watching airplanes take off from a nearby runway as the ball sailed right by him, oblivious in his aerial rapture.
Dane relentlessly pursued his passion for flight, earning his solo pilot license while still in high school. He went on to graduate with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy and was later recognized as the top student in his military flight school. This achievement earned him the right to choose which plane he would be assigned to, so he picked the, then newly released, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Fighter pilots must have a nickname, so his buddies created an anagram by converting “brain damage” to “Dane Bramage,” which eventually became just “Bramage.” He was assigned to a succession of Air Force squadrons in the US, Korea, and Germany, where he saw combat during the Bosnian War. While in Europe he met and married Cindy Stockdale, a DoDEA kindergarten teacher from Dallas, TX.
After 10 years in the Air Force, military career progression required that Dane leave the cockpit to take a senior managerial role. But Dane did not want to “fly a desk.” Instead, he left active duty to become a Northwest Airlines and Michigan Air National Guard pilot. He later flew for KLM and Delta, and was repeatedly promoted to ever larger passenger aircraft, including the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, Boeing 727, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, and Boeing 767. While in the Guard, he flew the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt (aka “Warthog”). He eventually retired from Delta as an international wide-body captain and from the Air National Guard as an Air Force Major.
As retirement approached, Dane decided to pursue his other passion – ice cream. As a child, the family did not have much money. When the car would pass an ice cream shop, Dane would shout out from the back seat, “ice cream, ice cream!” Not wanting to say no, but also not wanting to shell out for ice cream, his dad would say, “I don’t know,” which as a young kid Dane mistook for “eautneaux.” This exchange happened often enough that eautneaux eventually became the family lingo for ice cream. Later in life, Dane applied this name to the Cold Stone Creamery franchise he and Cindy owned and operated in Brentwood, TN.
Ever the creative thinker, Dane enjoyed dreaming up, researching, and planning new projects. He loved technology and was among the first to acquire every new gadget. Over time, he purchased three different private aircraft that he enjoyed tinkering with at his hangar in Smyrna, TN. He became quite handy, but actually completing projects was not nearly as fun as dreaming about them, so his to-do list and project supplies tended to multiply. Although punctual in professional life, his active mind could cause him to lose track of time, leading his patient wife to claim that he was often on “Dane Time.”
Despite a career that took Dane around the world, family was always important to him. He never failed to remember birthdays, graduations, or anniversaries. He was generous with his time and money, making a point to attend nearly every special occasion of his siblings, nieces, and nephews – no matter how far he had to travel to do so. He was a quick wit and loved a good joke, although his fondness for coining new words and abbreviations often left his audience baffled. He was also a big fan of surprises and particularly enjoyed appearing, unannounced, at his parent’s house when they thought he was far away – much to the befuddled astonishment of his mom and dad. His family was always glad to see him and will miss him dearly.
Dane was predeceased by his father as well as his sister, Leavon (White) Jamison of Florence, MS.
He is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Cindy (Stockdale) White; his mother, Betty (Rice) White of Alexandria, LA; his brother, Todd White and his wife Andrea of Southbury, CT; his sister, Cynthia Pinder and her husband Dennis of Logansport, LA; his sister, Laurie Thiels and Matthew Layssard of Boyce, LA; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Dane was one of those rare, charismatic people who are larger than life. His energy, curiosity, and tenacity helped him achieve all his dreams and made him beloved by his friends and family. His presence will be sorely missed by those who had the pleasure to bask in his radiant personality.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 2 pm on January 12 at Jennings & Ayers Funeral Home in Murfreesboro, TN. His body will be interred with full military honors at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.
Donations may be made in his honor to the Nashville Rescue Mission.
