Sterilization Services neighbor dies from cancer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lettie White, one of the subjects of FOX13’s ongoing Contaminated Community series, passed away.

Monday afternoon, White’s longtime neighbor and friend, Rose Sims, told FOX13 she passed in a hospital on Saturday.

FOX13 first interviewed White in February 2023 when community members sent a letter to the Shelby County Health Department asking for operations at Sterilization Services of Tennessee to end.

White lived near the plant in South Memphis.

Sterilization Services of Tennessee has been legally emitting a toxic chemical, ethylene oxide, into the air for more than 40 years.

It is closing down for good this month on Tuesday.

In November 2023, FOX13 sat down with White after she was re-diagnosed with cancer.

“I was cancer free and all of a sudden, they said they saw a spot on my lungs again,” she told FOX13.

Fast forward to April 2024 – White’s cancer had progressed, forcing her to have a portion of her lung removed. She also had to walk around with a cane and an oxygen machine.

“It’s been terrible. When I take the treatment, I feel sick to my stomach,” she told us last month.

White was originally from Mississippi, but lived in Memphis for over 50 years.

In her professional life, she was a cook until she retired. In her retirement, she told FOX13 she enjoyed gardening and going to church.

White was 74 years old.