Mary 'Margaret' RUSK NEWLON turns 104 -- 2015

NEWLON, RUSK, STEVENSON, FLEIG

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 3/7/2015 at 13:37:51

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Page 2

NEWLON celebrating 104th birthday Sunday with family

Mary "Margaret" RUSK NEWLON of Fairfield will celebrate her 104th birthday Sunday with her family.

Mrs. NEWLON was born March 2, 1911, in Kirkwood, Missouri, the daughter of fred and Edna STEVENSON RUSK. She was the eldest child of four. Her younger brothers were John, Dale and Fred. After her father died in 1922, the family experienced hard times and she was sent to live with her aunt. Later, she accepted a position with a dentist's family in Burlington, where she went to school and helped care for the home and the family's children.

Mrs. NEWLON's family ties were in Libertyville and Fairfield, where she eventually reunited with her mother and brothers.

Mrs. NEWLON has longtime ties in Fairfield. She married Willis NEWLON April 28, 1928. During the Great Depression, she worked with him on his family's dairy farm west of Fairfield, where they milked cows day and night without the aid of modern machinery.

After several years in the dairy, Mr. NEWLON began working on road construction crews that were building roads, upgrading mud roads to gravel and eventually pavement. His job meant moving the family wherever the work was throughout Iowa, Illinois and Kansas. Mrs. NEWLON remained a housewife, raising two children.

Her daughter is Mary E. FLEIG of Fairfield, and her son is the late Robert NEWLON. Mrs. NEWLON also has five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Shortly after her husband retired, Mrs. NEWLON took a part-time position at Jefferson County Hospital as a housekeeper, with duties including the sterilization of surgical equipment. She continued in this position until her retirement.

Mrs. NEWLON is a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Fairfield.

Cards and letters to help Mrs. NEWLON celebrate her birthday can be sent to her at SunnyBrook Living Care Center, 400 S. Highland St., Room 112, Fairfield 52556.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.