Christina Harbison Newton
Christina (Tina) Newton, 78, of Fairborn, Ohio, died on June 23 after a long illness.
A Highlands native, she was the daughter of Thomas Cobb and Elizabeth Rice Harbison. During her high school years, she was the editor of the “Galax News,” played basketball for the Lady Highlanders and was senior class valedictorian. She then attended Western Carolina University.
Tina married the love of her life, Dr. James Henry Newton, in 1962. The couple moved to Chapel Hill where James completed his undergraduate degree. She worked as an administrative assistant in the medical and academic fields at both Furman University and the University of Florida in Gainesville while James finished his masters and doctorate degrees in chemistry and was also a teaching assistant for a number of years.
In 1977 the Newtons moved to Dayton, Ohio, where James was employed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Most of Tina’s adult life was spent caring for her family and children, especially her beloved husband, who passed away in 2001 from complications related to Type I diabetes.
Tina is preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her paternal and maternal aunts and uncles. She is survived by her sisters Susannah (Ann) Harbison of Canon City, Colorado, and Jessie Harbison Sheldon, of Lompoc, California, as well as her children Pauline (Scott) Fletcher and David (Michelle) Newton. She is also survived by four grandchildren – Aaron and Audrey Fletcher and Lydia and Julie Newton; two great-grandchildren, Samuel and Amelia, and other extended family members.
A private family service was held in Enon, Ohio, on July 1 at the home of Pauline and Scott Fletcher. Tina will be remembered by the warmth of her beautiful smile, her wonderful sense of humor, and her gift for creative writing.
Her family was her joy and she readily shared her kind, loving and generous spirit with others. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Highlands Historical Society (in honor of her lifelong love of her hometown) or to the Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave. Dayton, Ohio, 45420.