Makena White, a McMaster graduate who played hockey in Ottawa and was often seen at PGA Tour events supporting her partner,
Jake Knapp
, died on Sept. 22. She was 28.
Her death was announced on Sept. 26 in a message posted to her Instagram account by a friend. The post said she was “already so deeply missed by her Dad, her family, her friends, and of course by Nelly and Fergie,” her two dogs. No cause of death has been released.
Knapp, who won the Mexico Open in February 2024 and has emerged as one of the PGA Tour’s promising players, called the loss “a tough reality to comprehend” in a
statement to People magazine
. He described White as “a thoughtful person whose selflessness toward others is something I will always appreciate.”
White grew up in Ottawa, the daughter of
Mark White and the late Crystal Barrington
. She played hockey for the Nepean Wildcats before graduating from St. Joseph High School. At McMaster, she earned degrees in communications and software engineering. Her family said she began in sales and later moved into the health sector, where she pursued what they described as her drive “to help people who needed help.”
Friends remembered her for constant motion. She had volunteered at an orphanage in Uganda and rarely let a week pass without booking a trip. “To be loved by Makena was a gift,”
her obituary
said, “one that brought endless laughter, so much joy and a healthy dose of chaos.”
Her mother died in 2022 after treatment at Ottawa’s
Bruyère Brain Health and Memory Clinic
, where her father serves on the board.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Makena White (@makenawhite91)
A celebration of White’s life is scheduled for Oct. 2 at Beechwood Funeral Home in Ottawa. Donations have been requested to the Bruyère Brain Health and Memory Clinic or the Griffin Bell Endowment Fund.
