Dorothy Helen Newton
Dorothy Helen Newton, age 93, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Friday, March 27, 2020 at Sunset Village in Sylvania, Ohio. Dorothy was born September 21, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois to Josephine (Swoboda) and Aristotle DeMet.
Dorothy met the love of her life John (Jack) J. Newton, M.D., in 1945 while attending the University of Illinois. They were married on July 2, 1949 and between 1951 and 1959 welcomed five children. Dorothy dedicated her life to her family and many charitable organizations with far reaching impact on the greater Toledo community.
Perhaps most significantly she was the creator and editor of The Cookbook to raise funds for The Toledo Hospital Auxiliary. The Cookbook was a dream of hers for many years and she led the Toledo Hospital Auxiliary committee that brought it to fruition and published The Cookbook in 1992.
She also helped open and manage the St. Joseph Parish Antique Shop from 1963 to 1971. She accomplished this with the support of many friends and parish volunteers including Betty Coughtrie and Cleo Smilo. Together they established a relationship with the Stranahan Theater and many starring guests frequented the Antique Shop including Sally Fields and Burt Reynolds. Additionally during that time, she and her friends hosted four Antique Shows in the St. Joseph School auditorium that brought antique dealers and collectors from around the country and raised significant dollars for St. Joseph Parish. Dorothy also chaired the Toledo Decorator Showhouse for several years.
Dorothy was an avid reader and a woman of many talents including an expert mandolin player, an oil painter, a gourmet cook, and an entertainer extraordinaire. She loved to travel and visited Europe every year from 1966 to 2006. She was passionate about the country of France and loved fine dining.
Her greatest joy was being with her family. She was the matriarch in every sense of the word! She was very conscious about planting seeds of wisdom and inspiration, encouraging her children and grandchildren to chase their dreams. She loved Christmas and treasured the holidays when many of the family members were together for the festivities. Most importantly, Dorothy wanted to be present and relevant in each family member’s life and she did that by clipping articles of interest, sending cards and gifts, and remembering each birthday, anniversary and special event.
Dorothy is survived by her loving husband of 70 years Jack Newton; sons John (Maureen) Newton, David Newton, Thomas (Carla) Newton; daughters Mary (Robert) Westphal, and Patricia (Randal) Virost; 12 grandchildren, Amanda (David) Osta, Benjamin (Deena) Newton, Molly Newton, Michael (Jen) Newton, Erin (Armando) Hernandez, Emily (Louis) Friend, Phillip Newton, Glenn (Kathryn) Westphal, Scott Westphal, Elaine Westphal, Kelly (Brendan) Keep, Andrew Virost; as well as 12 great grandchildren and her sister Connie (Leo) Bezanis. The family would like to thank Dr. Margaret Durkin for her care and support as well as the caring team at Sunset Village and Ashanti Hospice.
Due to the current pandemic, the family will host a celebration of life at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to ProMedica Toledo Hospital Foundation and mailed to ProMedica Foundations, 444 N. Summit St., Suite 100, Toledo, Ohio 43604. Online condolences to reebfuneralhome.com
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