LEO F. NEWTON, 93, died Monday, July 24, 2017 at The Villages at Historic Silvercrest, New Albany, IN. He was born May 2, 1924 in Rapid City, MI to the late Lewis Newton and Ola (Harger) Newton. He is also preceded in death by his wife Ethel “Jo” in 2015, and his siblings: Glenn “Glenny” Newton, Ward “Buck” Newton, Lloyd “Nick” Newton, Raymond “Shorty” Newton, Mildred “Millie” Sweet, Dorothy “Dutch” Braemar, Winifred “Winnie” Goebel, and Opal Newton. A graduate of Clearwater Township High School, Rapid City, MI Leo served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II from 1942 to 1945. A Technical Sergeant in the Eighth Air Force, 493rd Bombardment Group, 861st Squadron, he flew 35 missions over France, Belgium and Germany as radio operator aboard the B24 and B17. He was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, Leo was employed for 33 years at Numatics, Inc., in Highland, MI, as a skilled machinist. He was a knowledgeable and trustworthy husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, and friend with a deep understanding of history and many talents including farming, construction, woodworking, and machining.
Survivors include his children, Ramona S. Kuhne (Kurt) of Concord, NC, Harold J. Newton (Sharon) of Metamora, MI, and Tamara L. Newton (Robert Music) of Louisville, KY; grandchildren, Jason B. Kuhne, Wendy W. Kuhne (Scott Barr), Lee C. Newton (Mollie), and Jeremy L. Newton; and great grandchildren, Anika and Chloe Newton.
The family extends special thanks to The Villages at Historic Silvercrest, Hosparus of Southern Indiana, and dear friends for all of their support.
A committal service with military honors will be held at 12:30 PM Friday, September 8, 2017 at the Great Lakes National Cemetery, 4200 Belford Rd., Holly, MI for Leo and Jo Newton. A memorial service for Leo Newton will follow at 1:30 PM at Brown Funeral Home, 1480 E. Hill Rd., Grand Blanc, with a reception afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Leo’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: https://www.michaeljfox.org/ or 1-800-708-7644.
Online condolences may be made to www.brownfh.com.
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