Maurice
Newton, 80Thief River Falls - Maurice Newton, 80, died Sunday, December 21, 1997 at the Hutchinson Memorial Hospital in Hutchinson.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 26 at Bethany Lutheran Church, rural Thief River Falls with Reverend Robert Dahlen officiating. Grace Hammer will be the organist, and the soloist will be Mark McGraw. Casketbearers will be Maurice's grandchildren--Ron McGraw, Mark McGraw, Leah Starke, Bret Newton, Kyle Newton, Matthew Nordhmeier, Aaron Wold, Erika Wold, Adam Wold, Kelly Newton, Ann Newton, Brian Newton and Laura Newton. Burial will be at Emanuels Cemetery in Smiley township of Pennington County.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, December 25 at the Green Funeral Home in Thief River Falls with a 7 p.m. prayer service and one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.
Maurice Allan Newton was born September 16, 1917 in Smiley township of Pennington County, the son of Abraham and Anna (Fladeland) Newton. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. He attended rural public School District 30. On January 13,1942 Maurice entered the United States Naval Service. He served on the USS South Dakota as a 3rd Class Gunner's Mate.
On July 15, 1944 Maurice was united in marriage to Ellen Berggren in Seattle, WA. Following his honorable discharge on September 19, 1945, the couple moved back to the family farm in Smiley township where they farmed and raised their family. In 1969, Maurice started working for Brodin Sheet Metal and worked there until his retirement in 1980. For the past 11 years, Maurice and Ellen have wintered in Arizona.
He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, hunting, reading, watching all sports, and spending time with his wife, family and friends--especially his grandchildren. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a gift for telling stories.
As a 4-H leader, Maurice was active with his children's 4-H projects. He served as a supervisor on the Smiley Township Board and as president of the Smiley Community Club. He was a former council member of Bethany Lutheran Church, a member of the American Legion and a life long member of the VFW of Thief River Falls.
Maurice is survived by his wife, Ellen; five children, Nancy (Rick) McGraw of Hutchinson, Alan (Dianna) Newton of Thief River Falls, Peggy Newton of Montrose, Marcia (Cliff Jr.) Wold of Buffalo and Barry (Paula) Newton of Thief River Falls; 13 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; eight sisters, Andine Newton, Ida Bjorge, Christine Keiser, Agness Wold, Selma "Sally" Bolstad, Theressa Swedberg, Doris Newton and Josephine "Jo" Helgeland; and three brothers, Bjorgo, Ole and Arthur.