Gatsby Warwick White

March 21, 2013 – September 3, 2022

Gatsby Warwick White (The Greatest Gatsby) of Charlottesville, Virginia, was born in Broadway, Virginia on March 21, 2013, and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge at 5:45PM on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at Greenbrier Veterinary Hospital.

After overcoming melanoma and losing a toe, tearing his ACL, being diagnosed with osteosarcoma and losing a leg, being a tri-paw’d rockstar for one month and one day, and coming through his first round of chemo like a golden champ, Gatsby was taken by a surprise abdominal tumor. He passed away peacefully, sleepily, and covered in love in the laps of his loving fathers, with his beloved stuffed fox, Dangles, by his side.

Gatsby was the biological Golden Retriever son of the late Hannah and Trouper of Gap View Ranch in Broadway, Virginia, and the adopted son of Gary and Edward Warwick White of Charlottesville, Virginia. He is deeply loved, missed, and survived by his dads, many grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and friends—near and far. Known affectionately as The Greatest Gatsby later in life, he once was called The Mostly Great Gatsby (check out his Instagram hashtag!), primarily through his early years of teething and frequent mid-walk refusals to do anything but lay down and request belly rubs from passing strangers. Throughout his life, he had many nicknames, primarily from Dad Edward who seemed to come up with a new one every day, including, but not limited to: Bear, Buddy, Bear-Bear, Berenstein Bear, Booty, Booty Bear, Booties, Boots on the Ground, Boots with the Fur, Babies, Sweet Baby Gatsby, Gapsby, Bird, Birdy, Dr. Bird, Dr. Jenkins Bird, Dr. Jenkins Bird Head of Orthopedic Surgery, Hair Bear, The Goodness Monster, Muppet, Turkey, Turkey Lurky, Turkey Lurky Time, and many more ridiculous/nonsensical options.

Gatsby was known for his big, goofy smile, signature fluffy-and-sometimes-ragamuffin appearance due to a strong dislike of brushing, and his lack of grace. He had a bright pink tongue with black spots, beautiful brown eyes (that he often closed/squinted in photos) with lots of morning eye goopies, curly hair behind his ears, a big, wet nose, and paws that smelled like corn chips. By the end of his life, he was short one toe and one leg, but he never lost his incredible personality, vitality, and energy. His final two nights on this earth were spent chasing tennis balls in the yard with his dads, something he had only just re-learned how to do following his leg amputation.

During his nine and a half beautiful years on earth, Gatsby lived all over Charlottesville. His first five and a half years were spent in three different apartments in the historic Altamont building in the heart of Downtown Charlottesville, earning his stripes as a City Dog through his daily walks to Court Square and his hard-learned expertise at not barking too loudly in the evenings, ignoring traffic noise and sirens, not jumping on unsuspecting neighbors, and especially not peeing in the elevator. He then moved to a house with the perfect backyard on Bennington Road and spent many long days and nights rolling in the grass and chewing sticks (as well as chasing balls, obviously). He spent his final years at his dads’ first owned home in Forest Lakes, complete with his very own walking trails, sleeping porch, a tall staircase he conquered with the help of carpeted stair treads, and two rooms with carpet (“The whole room is a rug!” he once marveled).

Gatsby was very cautious and careful—almost to a quirky degree. He was not a Golden Retriever you would see jumping off docks or barging into rooms. Instead, he was a Golden Retriever who would find the perfect spot on the shore to walk in carefully and casually – if there were not too many waves or ripples -- or peek through a cracked door, sometimes politely tapping with his paw, until you opened it wide enough for him to walk through unencumbered. He did not like doggie doors, baths, the vacuum, inanimate objects with faces, large leaf bags that rustled in the wind, and Halloween masks on children.

Gatsby’s great loves (or “Lubs”) included getting scritches & belly rubs, sleeping (a lot), eating, chasing tennis balls, stealing laundry, romping & rolling around the yard (especially in spring grasses and winter snows), going on long walks, cuddling, giving kisses, and following his dads around the house to make sure they were OK (and that they didn’t forget when it was time for meals or treats). During his life, he owned an estimated 28 dog beds and over 200 tennis balls (a great return on his investment). An accomplished musician, like his father Gary, Gatsby loved to sing—especially to “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele, “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars, and “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye.

He had many beloved four-legged friends through the years, including but not limited to: Maggie Wood, Dupree Cadaret, Sheila Kneller, Bodie Lee Warwick, Lady Ward, Comet Arbogast, and his first friend, the late Mo Shevlin. He would often lay down to make himself smaller and more approachable for smaller four-legged friends and children. Gatsby was a notorious foodie, with his favorite foods including dinner, regular Sunday breakfasts with Dad Gary (especially bacon and toast crusts), peesha bones (pizza crust), cheese, Utz Cheez Balls, peanut butter, sugar nuggets (Frosted Mini Wheats), chicken, cosey (Cosequin supplements), and his nightly dental chew. He always enjoyed a special peanut butter, pumpkin, and applesauce cake with peanut butter yogurt frosting on his birthday and the recently-celebrated National Dog Day. He could always be counted on to clean the empty peanut butter jar or the remnants of a plastic deli container of pimento cheese from Foods of All Nations. And despite his notoriety as a laundry thief, he literally never counter surfed or stole food. He would instead stand very close to you and stare deep into your soul until you either shared what you were eating or told him to lay down.

More than anything, Gatsby loved people. He never met a stranger, and everyone was his friend. While it took awhile to teach him that the proper way to greet someone was NOT to put their whole hand in his mouth, he came to be the gentlest, sweetest friend to anyone he met. He loved greeting neighbors and children on morning and afternoon walks, playing with cousins Jack-Jack and Georgie during visits, and going to the Outer Banks with his dads, Aunt Koki, Uncle Kebbin, Aunt Kristen, and Uncle Nicky. He loved spending many great summer weeks and weekends in the Northern Neck of Virginia, swimming for tennis balls and barking at paddleboards and kayaks on the Mobjack Bay. Whether he had spent years with you, or you were just coming to the door to deliver a package, you were family to Gatsby.

Gatsby was Love. Pure, unconditional, unbridled, messy, sloppy, overwhelming, beautiful, unimaginable love. He was goodness, and kindness, and sweetness, and 82 - 101lbs. of joy. Gatsby gave all of himself and all of his love unselfishly at all times. He was the best boy, and he was everything you could ever want, hope for, and dream of in a dog, son, and best friend. He will be forever missed, and forever held in the hearts of those who knew him – and even some who didn’t.

In lieu of flowers or food, Gatsby’s dads encourage you to make a donation in Gatsby’s honor to the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, or The Pet Fund. Gatsby also hopes you give your own furry family members extra scritches and hugs and kisses just because, and that you treasure every second you get with them.

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