Dorothy Collings Newman

Dorothy Collings Newman, age 101, passed away on January 8, 2026, in Yakima, Washington. She was born on August 2, 1924, in Pleasant Green, Utah, to Martha Dorothy Wolstenholme and Thomas William Collings.

Dorothy told us that her mother, Martha, gave birth to five sons, Thomas, Dan, Lester, Fred, and Bill. Martha dearly wanted a little daughter. Her husband had a dream that she would give birth to a girl, and sure enough, their 6th child was Dorothy. Unfortunately, Martha passed away from a brain aneurism when Dorothy was only 18 months old. Her dad went on to marry Hortense Holton, and added six more children to the family, Perry, Richard, Ruth, Glenn, Arlene, and Lynn. Dorothy’s brother, Lynn, is the only surviving sibling.

Dorothy loved softball. Her brother, Bill, was one of the coaches of an elite women’s softball club and she excelled in the sport. Bill expected a lot of his little sister, but he was a good coach. There are photos of Dorothy playing ball that are on display in a museum in Magna, Utah.

In 1943, when she was 19 years old, Dorothy worked as a power lift operator during World War 2. She received recognition for her efforts.

Dorothy married Boyd Warren Newman, her high school sweetheart, on June 27, 1945, in Magna, Utah. Later, they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 2, 1954.

Dorothy was a devoted wife and followed Boyd wherever he went. They lived in Magna, Utah; Denver, Colorado; Burien Washington; Kent, Washington; Mesa, Arizona and finally Yakima, Washington.

Dorothy and Boyd have three children, Sue, Kent and Beki, 16 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren and 16+ great, great grandchildren. Boyd preceded Dorothy in death on August 23, 2024, at 99 years of age. They had been married for 79 years!

Dorothy always loved clothes and was conscientious about her appearance. She was a skilled homemaker and kept a clean and organized home. Her children remember how she would have breakfast on the table for them before school and a sack lunch prepared for each of them and for Boyd before they left the house.

When it was time for Boyd to come home from work, dinner preparations were always underway. Dorothy knew that the first thing he would do when he returned home was to hang up his coat and then come and find her, so he could let her know he was home and then to tenderly kiss her cheek.

Boyd held many responsible positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Dorothy was supportive of him in every way. She, too, held many callings in the wards they lived in, including teaching in Primary, teaching in Young Women’s as well as leadership positions and teaching positions in Relief Society (the Church’s women’s organization).

A fond memory was when the Relief Society ladies would make chocolate candies to sell at the yearly church bazaar to raise money for their activities. Because Dorothy and Boyd had a large basement, the ladies would make the fondant and dip the chocolates in their basement. Once the chocolates were dipped, they placed them carefully on large sheets of covered plywood which were stacked several layers high (separated by 5” or so of space). They had hundreds of these chocolates drying when the earthquake of 1965 hit the Seattle area. When the intense shaking subsided, Dorothy frantically ran to the basement, expecting to see a disaster of fallen plywood and squished chocolates – but nothing had fallen and not a single chocolate had been damaged. She considered it a tender miracle.

In the 1970’s, Dorothy created a wedding reception business, which eventually got the name of “A Time Made Special.” Initially, it came to life while she was the wife of Bishop Newman, her sweet husband. Often, young couples, with very little money, would get married in his office. Dorothy, being the tender-hearted woman that she was, decided that she could purchase a metal arch and maybe a few different backdrops where the couples could stand and have wedding photos taken. Over many years of adding things here and there, that simple charitable act became a thriving business that filled their entire basement with an amazing assortment of table clothes, arches, pillars, silk flower arrangements, ribbons and bows of every imaginable color, punch fountains, a gazebo (that Boyd built), countless centerpieces, etc. She even acquired a large step-van to haul everything to the different church buildings. Dorothy was at her peak of creativity and loved putting beautiful wedding receptions together and making people happy.

Dorothy became a temple worker in the Seattle Temple from November 13, 1984, and served in that capacity until November 3, 1990. She was released from this position because she and Boyd had been called to serve a full-time service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii. They really enjoyed the time they spent at the PCC, mingling with college age workers from a variety of cultures, and making lifetime friends. They faithfully served at the PCC for 18+ months and then returned to their home in Burien, Washington.

As they aged, they decided they needed a home in a warmer climate and bought a small house in Mesa, Arizona. They became “snowbirds,” and lived in the Seattle area during the summers and Mesa during the winters. They loved the friends they met in Mesa and enjoyed the huge flea markets and finding unique Indian themed treasures.

As they continued to age, around 2018, Sue convinced them to move from Kent, Washington to Fieldstone Orchard West, located in Yakima, Washington. This was a wonderful Assisted Living community where Boyd and Dorothy made even more friends. Boyd was the reigning “Corn Hole King.” And Dorothy, even as her macular degeneration becoming more severe, did pretty well herself and often took home the prize.

It was at Fieldstone Orchard West in about 2023, that Boyd began to show cognitive decline, and the family decided it would be best to move the couple to Fieldstone Memory Care, next door. Everywhere they went, Dorothy would be quick to make new friends. The staff fell in love with both of them.

Boyd passed away in 2024. Dorothy remained at the Memory Care facility. Her eyesight was failing and at 100 years old, it didn’t seem wise to move her. The staff grew even more protective and careful with her and loved her spicy personality and she loved them back.

Dorothy ended up in the hospital in Yakima on Monday, December 29th, 2025, and was there for 10 days before being transported back to Fieldstone. Everyone was so happy to see her again and things seemed to be looking up. Unfortunately, at 3:09 AM, January 8th, our beloved Dorothy peacefully passed away.

Dorothy was an amazing woman with great integrity, tenacity, and determination. She made friends easily and kept them for life. She had a natural charm but could also be very firm with high expectations of herself and others. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother. She made a difference in people’s lives. It is impossible to express how much we will all miss her, but we have faith that she is with Boyd again, and the countless friends and family who passed before her. Dorothy was one of a kind, and we love her for it.