Obituary of Howard Owen Newton

Howard Owen Newton, 88, most recently of Arlington, Texas, passed peacefully on September 24, 2020. Howard’s life began in Portsmouth, Virginia, son of William Leon Newton Sr. and Lula Early Gatling, but he lived across the country including Mountain Home, Arkansas; Rogersville, Missouri; and ultimately Dallas-Ft. Worth to be near family. Throughout his travels, he remained a dedicated Virginian. Howard has been preceded in death by his parents, his half- siblings Lillian Stubblefield, Mildred Sellers, and Bessie Haynes, and siblings William Leon Newton Jr., James Harold Newton, Lula Maye Newton Hamilton and Richard Lawrence Newton. He is survived by his daughter Lori Maye Newton McGilberry, son-in-law Kent Allan McGilberry and grandson Owen Scott McGilberry. Howard is also survived by brother-in-law Dale C. Hamilton, widower of Lula Maye Hamilton, sisters-in-law Dee Newton, widow of William Newton, and Joyce Newton, widow of Richard Newton. Many of Howard’s beloved nieces and nephews have survived him as well, visits with and memories of whom he has treasured throughout his life. A 1950 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Va., Howard served in the Army Engineer Corps from 1953 to 1955 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During that time, he served as a Combat Construction Specialist Instructor. Graduating from the University of Virginia in 1958 where he served as President of the Baptist Student Union and received a BA in Anthropology, Howard went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky in 1963. His working life was varied including serving as a minister, technical drafting, working as a machinist and finally recruiting and placing senior citizens in jobs in the north-central Arkansas area. Howard loved to travel making a trip to the 1970 Baptist World Alliance in Tokyo and traveling widely in the US and Canada throughout his life. He traveled regularly between Arkansas and Missouri to see his brother William (Bill) and sister-in-law Dee over many decades. Howard will be interred at Monticello Memory Gardens in Charlottesville, VA, in a private ceremony. To honor Howard, donations can be made to the Virginia Fund at the University of Virginia at the following website: at.virginia.edu/HowardNewton