Kevin White grew up drawing superheroes and cartoon characters. He could look at photos in an anatomy book and draw body parts with precision, particularly hands.
"When he was 12, he was a helper at the cultural arts center in Roswell," said his mother, Melissa White. "He learned how to airbrush, but pencil art, that was his favorite. He loved that."
Given such talent, tattooing was no big stretch. He bought a tattoo gun and taught himself by practicing on oranges. He did tattoos for friends and friends of friends, but that was more fun than business; he seldom charged.
Kevin Michael White, of Woodstock, came down with a high fever two days after Christmas. The site of an abscess on his shoulder that he had drained became infected and toxin entered his bloodstream. He was in the intensive care unit at Kennestone Hospital for several days and appeared to be recovering, but he died Jan. 6 from complications of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 24.
Weather permitting, a funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday in the chapel of Woodstock Funeral Home, which is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. White graduated from north Fulton County's Independence High and studied motorcycle mechanics at Chattahoochee Tech. He had been a wrestler, played soccer for years and raced motorcycles. He owned a 1977 Camaro that he had wanted to restore; his pet Rottweiler was named Chevrolet.
This eldest son of four boys had a kind heart and served as the man of the house. He would videotape his brothers' motorcycle races and shout instructions at their wrestling matches.
He bought his brother Brandon White his first motorcycle and set up a track in the backyard to teach him how to ride. He taught a neighbor's kid how to ride, too.
"He was always more of a father because my dad wasn't there," said Brandon of Woodstock.
Years ago, a divorced friend didn't have the money for Christmas gifts. Mr. White took the money his mother would have spent on his gifts and bought items for his friend's two children. He left them on the front porch. He didn't want to take away his friend's pride.
"That's just the kind of person he was," his mother said. "He was always giving to others."
Jennifer Lair and Mr. White had been a couple for three years.
"He was very perceptive, could see the truth in most situations and was a good judge of character," she said. "Family was very important to him as you've probably heard. When you were part of his life, that's the way it was."
Mr. White had experience in the lawn care industry and had plans to start his own business. He had already selected a name: Royal Lawn Care.
"He wanted to do his own thing," said his brother Wesley White of Woodstock. "Tattooing was just something he did on the side."
Additional survivors include two more brothers, Jeremy Heydon of Savannah and Justin Heydon of Korea; and grandparents Harvard and Fran Hughey of Woodstock, and Ed and Cheri White of Warner Robins.
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