Anita Newton Lane

Mary Anita Newton Lane, 89, of Weatherford and formerly of Stephenville, passed away on Tuesday, March 5.

Anita was born on August 12, 1934, in the hospital in Coleman, Texas, the only one of the five children of Lewis and Ina Newton not to be born at home.  She joined her two older brothers, JW and Ferrell, and her older sister, Imogene in the Newton household.  Younger brother Weldon came along a couple of years later.

Anita was a descendant of Brown County pioneers and grew up on the family farm and ranch in northern Brown County, which meant showing prize Hereford cattle, milking cows, feeding chickens, and cooking for the combine crews during harvest.  Anita attended school in the Cross Cut community through 8th grade; then she attended Cross Plains High School, where she graduated with the class of 1952.  She attended John Tarleton College (now Tarleton State University) for two years, then transferred to Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University), establishing a tradition that would span four generations of the Newton family.

At Tech she majored in elementary education and lived in Knapp Hall.  She was set up on a blind date, and the rest is history.  Joe Lane walked into Knapp Hall and into her life, and so began a romance that would span seven decades.  

After her graduation, Anita and Joe married at the First Baptist Church in Cross Cut, Texas, on July 9, 1955.  According to Joe, Anita milked the cows on her wedding day, but she always insisted it was NOT their wedding day, but the day before. As soon as the wedding was over, they set out for Augusta, Georgia, where Joe was stationed with the US Army.  Their early days of married life were spent in Augusta as Joe completed his obligation to Uncle Sam and Anita taught sixth grade.  They then returned to Lubbock for Joe to finish his degree at Tech, with Anita teaching school at Maedgen Elementary.

After Joe graduated in 1958, he accepted a job with the Texas Highway Department and they moved to Colorado City, Texas, where they bought their first home and welcomed their two daughters—Flaire in 1959 and Marche in 1963.  Joe’s work took them to Big Spring, Texas, for a short stint, and then to Sonora in 1964, where they stayed for the next 35 years.

Anita taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades in the Sonora school system and was active in her church and community.  She loved to host parties and opened her home to friends, family, coworkers, and Sonora speech meet participants.  Her chocolate pies were legendary.  She was a seamstress extraordinaire, and made beautiful clothes for her daughters and others, including a wedding dress and some bridesmaid ensembles.  She adored her grandchildren, and was always ready to make them whatever costumes their imaginations could come up with, using whatever materials might be at hand—milk cartons, old hats, cardboard boxes, paper sacks, etc.

After spending 35 years in Sonora, Joe and Anita moved to Stephenville, Texas, where Anita enjoyed participating in Bible studies at First Baptist Church Stephenville, Stephenville Study Club, the DAR, and the President’s Circle at Tarleton State University.  She and Joe continued to host and entertain friends and family in their beautiful home there until they moved to Weatherford in 2021, where they resided at West Fork Assisted Living.

Anita was preceded in death by her parents, Lewis and Ina Newton; her siblings and their spouses, JW and Madeline Newton, Ferrell and Maxine Newton, Imogene Newton Haun and husband, Buddy, and Weldon and Cynthia Newton.  She is survived by the love of her life and her husband of 68 ½ years, Joe Lane; her two daughters, Flaire Lane Shumard and Marche Lane Milam; son-in-law, Dennis Shumard; her beloved grandchildren, Grayson Shumard, Eva Milam, and Anna Milam; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, and many friends.  Her legacy at Texas Tech includes (at last count) 14 “blood” relatives and at least 7 in-laws, spanning four generations of the Newton family.

Visitation and viewing will be held on Sunday, March 10, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., at Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Chapel, 913 N. Elm St., Weatherford, Texas. Burial will be at 2:00 p.m., on Monday, March 11, in the Cross Cut Cemetery, 22001 TX 279, Brownwood, Texas (6 miles south of Cross Plains). Friends and family are invited to a reception at First Baptist Church, 301 N. Main St. in Cross Plains immediately following the graveside service.