Fred Newton

Fred Henry Newton, beloved husband, father, uncle and grandfather passed away on May 4, 2020, at the ripe old age of 91.  He went peacefully in his home with his daughter and son by his side.  Fred was born the youngest of 7 children December 20, 1928 in Emmett, Idaho to William Newton and Myrtle De Graw and he is the last survivor of this little family.  Fred and his siblings went to live with his Aunt Elvira in Delta Utah after his mother was killed in a train accident.  Eventually their dad brought them back to Murray, Utah where he spent his teenage years.  He went to Murray High School and was drafted into the Army.  He served for 2 years as a radio operator in the Korean War.  Upon coming home from the military, he went to work at Kennecott Copper Mine as a railroad engineer.  One night while dragging State Street, he stopped at the Stauffer Diner in Murray and saw the most beautiful woman of his life. He fell head over heels in love.  After only the third date he took Irene up Big Cottonwood Canyon and proposed to her.  She was 17, seven years younger than him, and after some convincing she agreed to marry him which they did on her 18th birthday.  Fred and Irene always wanted children and took care of Irene’s younger siblings Betty, Brenda, and Bob on many occasions as they were growing up.  After much tribulation they were given the opportunity to adopt Kevin, Yvette, and Kenny and were always so grateful to the mothers that allowed them to adopt and raise us.  After the Kennecott strike, Dad was out of work, and having no money for cigarettes he gave them up cold turkey.  He said it was the hardest thing he ever did.  At this time he earned the opportunity to work for IBM (known to us as Itty Bitty Machines) he spent 30 years there servicing equipment.   As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 10, 1965.  Fred was deeply committed and willing to serve wherever he was called.  With IBM he had many opportunities to travel and took his family with him as often as he could.  Most memorable was the trip to Florida in 1976.  He regretted taking the kids out of school but eventually came to realize it was the best learning and memorable experience he could have done for us.  After retiring in 1993 he settled in at home and took care of Irene who suffered with Crohns disease till she passed in 2019.  He missed her greatly and could not wait to join her in heaven. He got his wish at 8 a.m. May 4, 2020.

Preceded in death by his son, Kevin (Marne’) Newton, and his wife, Irene LaChance Newton.  Survived by son Kenneth (Jan) Newton, daughter Yvette Newton, and 9 grandchildren:  Mariah, Forest, Aurora, Dawson, Brandi, Sam, Zachary, Jason, and Karina. They have provided with 4 great-grandchildren so far.

Viewing services will be held at the Cannon Mortuary, 2640 E. Bengal Boulevard (7600 South) Thursday, May 7, 2020 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The graveside service will follow at Mountain View Memorial Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. A celebration of life will be held in his honor at a later date, please check the mortuary website for updates.