Barbara J. Newman

Born May 26, 1945 to Wayne and Julia Martin in Phoenix, AZ, she grew up in Riverside, CA surrounded by siblings Denny, Janice, Charlie, Gary and Rick along with grandparents Robert and Geneva Axtell and Percy Lee and Helen Wallace. Later she journeyed with family to Nashville, TN.

She lived her life with a strong independence, testing her boundaries early in life as fiercely as she held those boundaries later as a mother. She was loving and protective of family, always remembering birthdays and serving as a surrogate mother to younger brothers. Later in life she cared for her own mother in her final years.

Intelligence, common sense, and caring came naturally to her. Among her many occupations, she served as a nurse at Riverside Community Hospital.

Her passion for hard work and interior decorating came together during her long tenure at SteinMart as merchandiser in the gifts and linens departments. It was also here and at home that she showed off her sense of style, organization, cleanliness, and balance. She drove to achieve and maintain all these on a consistent, and sometimes annoying basis. Family might joke that she changed up her own furniture as often as she reset the racks at work.

Life’s pleasures for her were simple and somewhat pragmatic; taking a bus ride, drinking a cup of coffee, organizing and cleaning a room, playing games, and working a crossword puzzle.

Her final years were spent in North Carolina enjoying the friendship of her fellow residents at Willow Creek and visiting with daughter and son in law, Erica and Alan.

She is survived by three siblings, her daughter and son-in-law, and numerous nephews and nieces. She is predeceased by parents and two brothers.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday afternoon, September 29, 2022 at 3:30 PM in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home, with receiving of friends to follow. For those unable to attend in person, live streaming is being offered.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of the following charities: UNC Health Foundation Bladder, Kidney & Prostate Cancer Fund or the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. (The hyperlinks to these organizations are listed below under Donations.)

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