This morning, following an 18-month battle with cancer, ITWorld Canada announced the death of president and COO Andrew J. White.

A company press release described White as an optimist who never saw a mountain he couldn’t climb and took the fight for his health with the same positive frame as he did for his business life. He kept his sense of humour throughout his battle and his focus on what was most important.

"Andy joined the ITWorld Canada family in 1989 when we were called Laurentian Technomedia and we owned one lonely little computer magazine called Computerdata which hardly got noticed in our stable of retail business books," said Michael Atkins, chairman and principal stakeholder in ITWorld Canada. "He took control and built ITWorld Canada Inc. into the pre-eminent Canadian IT B2B media house it is today. Andy was ambitious, loving, impatient, bright, thoughtful, competitive, responsible, funny and always with that irresistible twinkle in his eyes. The most remarkable thing about Andy is that he grew every year I knew him. He was an extraordinary man and his courage in the face of adversity was breathtaking. He will be terribly missed and never forgotten.”

Michael Atkins, assumes White’s position as president, with vice president of operations and chief strategist Fawn Annan and vice president and group publisher Joe Tersigni continuing their senior operating roles in the company.

Funeral services will be held this Saturday in White’s hometown of Brighton, Ont. at the Walas Funeral Home, 130 Main Street at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family would welcome a donation to the Quinte Humane Society which can be made through the funeral home. In addition, ITWorld Canada is setting up a Scholarship Fund in Andy’s name at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont.