Former Spartanburg Mayor Junie White has died at the age of 87.

His daughter, Melissa White, confirmed that he died of natural causes on the morning of September 1.

She said her father was motivated to get involved in local politics because "he always wanted to help those who couldn’t necessarily help themselves -- if he spoke for those people, he would."

White was elected to the Spartanburg City Council in 2005. Voters selected him as mayor in 2009, and he served until Jerome Rice took office as mayor in 2022.

In public service and as a businessman -- he was the longtime owner of White's Pine Street Exxon -- he was "a man of the people," Melissa White said.

Rice, who served with White as a member of the city council, described the former mayor as a man "who stood on integrity and stood up for what he believed in."

Rice said he appreciated White's straightforward approach to leadership. "He didn't pull any punches. You knew where Junie stood on things right from the start," he said.

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White stood up for the LGBTQ+ community, Black Lives Matter

White, who grew up in a family of Cherokee County sharecroppers, was willing to take a stand on sensitive social issues.

In 2010, he signed a proclamation designating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Day in Spartanburg.

He embraced the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

"That was Junie," Rice said. "He believed in people and in Spartanburg being a place for all people."

Exxon associate says White was a father figure

White played football at Gaffney High School and later served in the Navy.

He was successful in business. His gas station and auto repair shop continue to thrive, now under the leadership of his longtime associate, Johnny Lee.

For Lee, White was a father figure.

Lee began working at White's Exxon in 1984 at the age of 16. His father had died when he was an infant.

"The kind of relationship we had was like a father-son thing," he said.

Lee said White showed him the ins and outs of running a business -- most of all, "Mr. White was a great man to work for," he said. "He'd teach you how to be respectful, how to maintain good customer relationships."

Those relationships helped White's business prosper, but it wasn't only about profits, Lee said.

He'd fix a church van at a discount or waive a fee for a customer he knew was struggling to make ends meet.

Lee said people would sometimes approach the shop asking for a handout. He saw White "reach in his pocket many times for people who didn't have money to buy food or didn't have money for their power bill."

Lee added, "He didn't do it for notoriety. He believed it was the right thing to do."

Chris Story says White helped many over the years

City Manager Chris Story said that over the years, he had heard "countless anecdotes" from people who said White had helped them or a family member.

"In my time working with him in local government, it was very common to hear people mention that Junie had helped them individually," Story said. "I heard that from I don’t know how many people over the years. It was remarkable."

White supported charitable organizations

White also provided generous support for charitable organizations, particularly those serving young people.

Greg Tolbert, president of Kids Clubs -- formerly Boys and Girls Clubs of the Upstate -- recalled White as an instrumental player in the organization's early history. He was a donor and a key advocate within the business community.

"Boys and Girls Clubs would not have happened and gotten to where it was if not for Junie," he said.

White had 'focus on the big picture'

During White's tenure as mayor, Spartanburg experienced steady economic growth, marked by a significant revitalization of its downtown area.

Thanks in large part to White's leadership, "the groundwork laid" for Spartanburg's recent surge of development projects, including Fifth Third Park and a hotel set to begin construction in the coming months on West Main Street, Rice said.

Story said Spartanburg benefited from White's long-range view of challenges and opportunities.

"Junie didn't sweat the small stuff or get into the weeds, as you might say," he said. "He’d focus on the big picture and let folks know what he thought."

But White didn't merely chase headlines -- he truly cared about how government activities impacted people, especially those in need, Story said. "He was always interested in folks who might fall through the cracks."

Lee said he admired the way his boss used politics as an avenue to help others. "When people say he was 'the people's mayor,' they're not lying."

White and his wife, Irene, were married for 64 years and raised four children together: Melissa, Alan, Adrienne, and Brenda.

Melissa White said the family has not yet made funeral arrangements.