Kimberly White, granddaughter of Mrs. White of Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe and sister of Larry White Jr. of LoLo's Chicken & Waffles, passed away Friday at the age of 34.
"She was sweet, not an enemy in the world," her father, Larry White Sr., told me this afternoon. "Kimberly was the one who put Mrs. White's on the map. She was our PR person."
White said that in addition to helping promote Mrs. White's and Lo-Lo's on Facebook and Twitter, Kimberly was also responsible for getting Mrs. White's on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
"She also had Mrs. White's ready to go on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives [the Food Network program hosted by Guy Fieri], but Mrs. White wouldn't give her recipes to them."
White added that one of Kimberly's biggest accomplishments for Mrs. White's happened last October, when she and her sister started "Late Night Munchies at Mrs. White's," an idea to keep Mrs. White's open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for the downtown after-hours crowd.
"Her grandmother, Mrs. White, was like her best friend." White said of Kimberly, who had a history of heart problems. "When [Kimberly] couldn't leave the house [because of her illness], Mrs. White would come over and cook for her."
The visitation and funeral service for Kimberly White will be at noon and 1 p.m. Friday, June 17, at the Resthaven Park Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix.