Alberta B. Ross Newton

God?s glorious light shone especially bright in Bryan, Texas on April 28, 1945 when the Lord blessed Sandy and Myrtle Lee Ross with Alberta Beatrice Ross. Born the seventh of ten children, Alberta was a joyous addition to the union that was guided by faith, and grounded in family pride and devotion.

While her loving parents cherished the familial ties that the small countryside community offered, they relocated her and her siblings to Seattle, Washington, in 1951, in search of a better existence. There the family not only created a much-improved life, but also one overflowing with love, closeness, good times and faith.

?Sal,? as her brothers affectionately called her, was educated in the Seattle Public School District at Leschi Elementary and Washington Junior High but neither school captured her heart like Garfield High School and her graduation Class of 1963. She immediately continued her education at Central Washington State College and after a hiatus furthered her learning at Seattle University, City University, the University of Washington and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Her education and commitment to excellence were an integral part of the successful career she built at Pacific Northwest Bell and U S WEST, Inc. before retiring as a contract manager with more than 30 years of service. But as much as her career shaped her life, nothing influenced Alberta more than her love for her family and her Lord.

She committed her life to Christ at a very early age and joined Mount Olive Baptist Church where she was baptized, sang in the children and youth choirs, and attended church faithfully until she moved her membership to Mount Zion Baptist Church. There she was an extremely active and devoted servant. She was a member of the Diaconate Board, once serving as the Deaconess Ministry Chairperson; a member of Zone 12A, Harriet Tubman Circle, Women?s Ministries, Women?s Chorus and a former member of the Inspirational Chorus for approximately twenty years. Alberta held an elected office in each auxiliary in which she participated.

The passion she exhibited for her Savior was emulated in the love she gave her family. She was a devoted mother, confidante and friend to her two children, Sandra Lee Newton-Hinton and M. ?Eric? Newton, and everyone blessed to call her family. Alberta enjoyed long conversations with her daughter but especially enjoyed the time she spent with her grandchildren. ?Hunnee? as they called her, said grandchildren took love to a new level.

Her commitment to Christ not only revealed itself in an immense love for her family and friends but it also translated to community service. She used her many talents, including a special gift for poetry, and arts and crafts to serve others. She was most recently on the board of the Church Council of Greater Seattle and Northwest Baptist Federal Credit Union.

Alberta loved music and to travel, and she enjoyed many excursions to the world abroad including South Africa, Asia and Europe. But she took her final and most pleasurable trip on February 15, 2002, when the light of salvation guided her home to the perfect peace that only the fulfillment of God?s promises and everlasting love offer. While her physical presence is no more, her example of faithfulness, demonstration of dignity and grace in the midst of adversity and spirit of unconditional love are legacies that will forever inspire every life she has touched.

Left to celebrate Alberta?s life is her daughter and best friend, Sandra L. Newton-Hinton; her son, Eric Newton; her son-in-law, Gerald E. Hinton; and the very lights of her life, her grandchildren, Ladell M. J. Robinson, Eric ?Corey? Newton, Alexis R. Hinton, Julian M. Newton and Jordan M. Newton. Also left to cherish her memory are her sisters, Lois L. Winston, Ethel L. Hollingsworth and Esther ?Ruth? Ross all in Washington; her brothers, W. Wade Ross Texas, Clark E. Ross Washington and Harold Kion A. Ross Washington; as well as one aunt, Mary Hall Texas; and one uncle, Walter McGruder Texas. Several nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, great-great nephews, a great-great niece, and a host of additional relatives and friends will also miss Alberta. She was preceded in death by her parents, Sandy and Myrtle Lee Ross; her youngest brother, Howard Lee Ross; and her older brothers, Hanable O. Ross and Raymond E. Ross.