December 20, 1910 - February 10, 2017
Florence M. Newman Obituary (Age 106) Florence Margaret Newman passed away on February 10, 2017 in Spokane, WA. Florence was born on December 20, 1910 in Spokane to Arthur and Herma Cady. Due to her fathers job with the railroad, the family moved around a lot but returned to Spokane long enough for Florence to attend Lewis and Clark High School, where she nurtured her passion for singing in the school choir. The Baptist Church on South Perry requested her as a solo artist, as did retirement homes in the area. After high school, Florence accepted a secretarial position with a finance and mortgage company in Winnipeg, Canada. Not long after that, she discovered the Winnipeg Light Opera Company. She sang in The Merry Widow, Santoy and The Red Mill. Florence loved her life in Winnipeg, the opera, the military balls and dinners with officers wives but she had no family there and missed her parents who had retired in Portland, OR. She made the decision to move to Portland, where she married Burt Lundahl. Tragically, he passed away after only a year and a half of marriage. For five years following her husbands death, she worked as a secretary at a private correspondence school, raised her daughter and tended her parents. Then, Willard Bill Newman came along. She married him on Halloween night of 1953. The couple moved to Spokane where Florence worked for the Dept. of Social Health Services until retiring at age 70. Florence and her husband enjoyed travelling, visiting Western Europe three times as well as Brazil, Mexico and Russia. They built a home in St. George, UT and lived there until Bill passed away in 1991. After Bills death, Florence moved back to Spokane to be closer to her daughter, Diane. Florence attributed her longevity simply to moderation in all things. Family and friends said that such moderation did not apply to her heart, which was filled with a pure and uninhibited excess of affection and kindness. She was a blessing to all who knew and loved her. Florence is survived by her daughter, Diane Lopp; grandchildren, Corrina McMurtrey, Troy McMurtrey, Kelley McMurtrey and Colette McMurtrey; as well as 14 great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, February 26 at 2pm at Brookdale Retirement Residence, 3708 E. 57th Avenue. � To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Florence, please visit our Tree Store. Read more Events FEB 10
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