Gwendolyn Gene Newton, MD

Dr. Gwendolyn G. Newton, of Chinook and Oysterville, WA, died December 23, 2010 of causes related to old age. She was 88. Christened "Gwendolyn Gene" by her mother who loved the books of Gene Stratton Porter, she occasionally was addressed by catalog companies as "Gwendoly" and her favorite, "Fwedolyn". She determined in retirement to be known as "Gwen." Gwen was born October 4, 1922 at the family home on the line between Floyd and Mitchell counties in north central Iowa. Her parents were Harold and Margaret Newton. A child of the Great Depression, Gwen never forgot its lessons: "Wherever possible, avoid debt; repeat small profits." An entrepreneur at an early age, she shared a newspaper route ("I had the easy half") with her older brother Gordon, sold the Saturday Evening Post door-to-door, and sold handmade neckties to patrons of the local tavern, where she had a captive audience. Graduating from high school in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Gwen left home for Michael Reese School of Nursing in Chicago. She received her registered nurse credentials in 1944 and joined the U. S. Public Health Service. She was commissioned by the Army as a Second Lieutenant and sent overseas to serve first with the United Nations Rehabilitation and Relief Administration (UNRRA) in Yugoslavia and later at the 182nd Station, the 45th General, and the 17th General hospitals in Naples, Italy. Following the war she worked at the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, NY, then joined several friends to work at the Queen's Hospital in Honolulu. She took her pre-med studies at the University of Hawaii. In 1950 Gwen returned stateside to Washington University in St. Louis where, courtesy of the G. I. Bill, she earned her MD. She received her board certification in pediatrics and, in 1955, joined a private practice in Barrington, Illinois. Later she joined a practice in Minot, North Dakota. In between, she owned Riverside Antiques on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. In the late 1970s Gwen came west to Salem, Oregon to serve Oregon's profoundly mentally retarded youngsters at the Fairview Training Center. She retired in 1987, buying the W. D. Taylor house in Oysterville. There she helped local artist and author Nancy Lloyd start the screen printing and publishing business, Oysterville Hand Print LLC. In retirement Gwen traveled the western U. S. in a succession of charming small RVs. She had friends everywhere, it seemed, and remote was the museum that she hadn't inspected and approved. (She even helped design and install one: Nahcotta's Willapa Bay Interpretive Center.) She is survived by her brother Gordon W. Newton of Osage, Iowa, and his descendants; a host of friends; and her business partner, housemate, and verbal sparring partner, Nancy Lloyd. Gwen's memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 15th at the Oysterville Church. Donations may be made to the South Pacific County Humane Society (Gwen loved cats), PO Box 101, Long Beach, WA 98631, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Her guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.