Meet Amy White

Amy was born in the Philippines. Her father was in the U.S. Navy and her family moved all over the country and the world, but retired in Virginia Beach. Amy graduated from Kellam High School and then Radford University with a degree in nursing. After her husband graduated from Virginia Tech, they moved to Minnesota so he could teach Chemistry in a small university setting.

During the forty years they lived in Minnesota they visited Virginia Beach often and their goal was to retire here. When Amy’s daughter and son-in-law moved to Virginia Beach in 2016 with all the grandchildren, it set their retirement plans in stone! They purchased a home in Southeast Norfolk which reminded them of their country home in Minnesota. The property is on wetlands and there are no houses behind them. The icing on the cake is that it is one mile from her daughter’s home in Kempsville.

Amy retired in June, 2023, after forty years as an Intensive Care Registered Nurse. Her passion was working in the Intensive Care Unit and she was fortunate to work in a large medically advanced hospital. She witnessed many changes during her career and even persevered through the pandemic.

Amy learned gardening from her grandmother, mostly about planting perennials around their Minnesota home. She wanted to become a Master Gardener for years but decided to wait until she retired and moved to a new environment. 

Amy loved the Master Gardener classes. She appreciated the variety of classes, speakers and field trips that gave her an opportunity to experience many different sites around Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

To attain her required fifty hours, Amy participated at the Native Dune Garden, the Zoo Garden, the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, and the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden. In addition, she was especially drawn to, and will continue to participate in the Significant Tree Project. She looks forward to learning about and visiting the remainder of NMG projects.

When she is not working on NMG projects, Amy likes spending time with her family. Her son lives in Denver. Amy and her husband like to travel, especially when it involves being around family and friends. She enjoys scrapbooking and golfing; however, she has not golfed since moving to this area and is looking for some golf buddies so she can get back out on the golf course.



When you see Amy be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.