DALLAS — Family and friends of Dallas businessman Alan White gathered for a memorial service Monday, a little more than seven months after he disappeared.
In the middle of May, employees at Paul Quinn College found White's body in the woods near campus.
On Oct. 22, White went to his gym at the LA Fitness on Haskell Avenue at 5 in the morning. He left 40 minutes later and quickly went to fill up gas at the Race Trac at Inwood and Maple. That’s where he was last seen alive.
Six days after his disappearance police found his vehicle, a 2020 Porsche, in southern Dallas, but Alan was not inside. On May 13, his body was found in the woods, a little less than a mile from where his car was found. The medical examiner has not yet ruled on what caused his death.
And though it is not the outcome family and friends hoped for, they were grateful they got to honor Alan with a celebration of life.
“I am confident in saying that Alan was an exceptional man and lived an exceptional journey,” White's friend Terry Loftis said.
“Our father, we humbly come before you today to celebrate the amazing earth journey of your son James Alan White,” Loftis said at the ceremony. “We know that every soul has a purpose, and while Alan’s soul has ascended to you, all of us that remain here are forever touched and enriched because you blessed us to experience this life with Alan.”
White’s friend Scot Presley also spoke at the service.
“It is my hope for all of us that over time, our sadness and grief will turn into good memories and that we are all able to remember Alan with fondness, laughter, respect and dignity which he deserves,” Presley said. “Alan, wherever you are, wherever your soul is, in the heavens, in the sky, in the sand below us, in the air, in the space around us, may you finally rest in eternal peace.”
The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Crime Stoppers is offering $5,000 for information that leads to a conviction or arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Eric Barnes at 214-283-4818 or eric.barnes@dallascityhall.com. Please reference case number 188623-2020.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information called into Crime Stoppers that leads to the arrest and indictment for a felony offense. Call Crime Stoppers at: 214-373-TIPS, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.