SOUTHAMPTON - John William Newton, 73, of Pomeroy Meadow Road, Southampton, passed away suddenly at his home on Thursday, March 27. He was born on March 6, 1935, in East Hartford, Conn., and was the son of the late Russell E. and Mary M. (Bush) Newton. John was educated in the Northampton public schools and graduated from Northampton High School with the class of 1954.
He was a carpenter foreman for Daniel O'Connell and Sons Inc., in Holyoke, having worked there for 42 years before his retirement on Jan. 27, 1995. He was a former member of the 102nd Air National Guard Unit from Barnes Airport and served in Phalsbourg, France, from 1961 to 1962 during the Berlin crisis.
John was a 50-year life member of the Carpenters Union, Local 108. He was an active member of the Hampshire County Radio Control Club and loved flying and building model airplanes. While in high school, he was a stock car driver, having raced at many local tracks. He was also a proud member of the Championship 1953 Northampton High School football team, having scored five touchdowns in one game. John completely restored a 1937 Ford five-window Coupe Deluxe and a 1937 Ford pickup deluxe and was a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America and the Connecticut V-8 Club. John loved growing roses and gardening. He attended the Immaculate Conception Church in Easthampton.
John is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Joan Mary (Douyard) Newton; a son, James J. Newton, and his wife, Nancy (Conrad) Newton of Atlanta, Ga.; a daughter, Jill-Ann Mary (Newton) Wing, and her husband, Paul Wing, of Southampton; four grandchildren, J. Conrad Newton, Cameron Newton, Austin Wing and Jordan Wing; a sister, Patricia Dupre, and her husband, Lawrence, of Ocala, Fla.; and a brother-in-law, Philip Reidy, of Westboro; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a daughter, Elizabeth Newton, at birth, and his twin sister, Joan Reidy, earlier.
Funeral services and burial will be private and there are no calling hours. The Graham Funeral Home, 18 Adams St. in Easthampton, has been entrusted with John's care and services. Donations are requested in John's memory to the Southampton Police Department, P.O. Box 239, Southampton, MA 01073, or to the Southampton Ambulance Fund, P.O. Box 428, Southampton, MA 01073.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette