Harry V. Newton

Harry Vernon Newton, 87, of Elkhart, IN, entered the presence of the Lord on May 30. Harry left a legacy of faithfulness to Christ and service to others over his lifetime.

He was born on November 10, 1935 at the family farm in Vienna, IL to Thomas Elmer and Opal Marie Newton, the second of eleven children. He learned his hard work ethic and love of family and music from his earliest days, and he and his siblings sang in churches as the Newton Family Quartet.

He married Linda Kidder on April 6, 1963. They were married for 54 years until her death in September of 2017. God blessed them with two girls, Reverie and Cindy; eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. He especially loved all the babies and children in the family and talked and sang with them at every opportunity. Music has continued to fill his home and family throughout his life.

Harry accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior at age 14. He graduated from Tri-City High School in Buffalo, IL, attended Southeastern College in Harrisburg, IL, and studied four years of pre-med at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. He was in the US Army Medical Corp as an Operating Room Spec 4 from 1959-1961. After moving to Elkhart, IN in 1955, he worked for Penn Controls and the NYC Railroad, and then became a Master Electrician at NIBCO in Elkhart and retired in 1997 after 33 years (most of those years with perfect attendance!).

He served in multiple church ministries teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir and many quartets, serving as a deacon, and many ministries behind the scenes for more than 60 years. He and Linda showed hospitality to families in their home on a regular basis and ministered to those in need.

Surviving Harry are his siblings Ronnie Newton, David Newton, Joy Caplinger, Jeanne Larrison, Susie Summers, Tom (Diana) Newton, and Gayla Warren; daughters Reverie (Chris) Collins and Cynthia (David) Geiman; eight grandchildren—Chris (Sarah) Collins Jr., Amanda (Caleb) Sparrow, Avery Wrenne, Nathan (Katie) Collins, Heidi Geiman, Ed (Katie) Geiman, Andrew Geiman, and Sam Geiman, and 9 great-grandchildren—Sonya, Danielle, Eliza, Talia, and Iliana Sparrow; Mikey, Sammy, and Rebekah Collins, and Andrew Collins.

Preceeding him in death are his parents; his wife, Linda; siblings Clifton Newton, Sharon Thomas, and Anita Wright, and a great-grandson, Asher Sparrow.

A memorial service will be held at 3 pm on Friday, June 2,2023 at Sugar Grove Church, 58512 Old County Road 17, Goshen, IN 46528, with visitation two hours prior. Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone Blvd., Elkhart, IN 46514 is assisting the Newton family.

Memorials may be made to Mission Quest https://give.missionquest.org/missionary/180 for the Chris Collins, Jr. family in their work in Spanish missions and church planting or St. Judes (Harry had a special love for meeting the serious medical needs of children and appreciated the work of St. Judes). Online condolences may be made to the Newton family at www.stemmlawsonpeterson.com