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Obituary for Helen E. Williams Newton
SWANTON, VERMONT: Helen W. Newton, age 80, passed away on March 26, 2022. She was born on November 28, 1941 at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Bellows Falls, Vermont, the second child of Timothy Arthur Williams and Dorothy (Morrison) Williams.
Helen completed grade school in Newfane and attended Brattleboro High School, graduating with honor in 1959. She attended the University of Vermont, graduating in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She would continue her education at UVM with a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1967 and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Administration and Planning in 1981. She also had a full semester at the University of London in conjunction with a program sponsored by the University of Pittsburg.
She first met her husband to be, John, who was the tuba player for the Brattleboro town band, when the band played an out-of-town engagement at Dummerston, Vermont. The courtship continued during her college years and a marriage proposal was accepted and a date was set based on John’s anticipated completion of his active-duty military service. John’s service time was nearly complete when he was involuntarily extended by one year over some long forgotten international crisis. But the marriage plans would not be interrupted and on September 1st, 1962 Helen and John were united in marriage in the little brown Church in Williamsville, Vermont. Helen and John then moved to John’s duty station at Fort Gordon near Augusta, Georgia and Helen attended one semester at Paine College in Augusta. In January of 1963, Helen and John returned to Vermont and to the Burlington area to finish her degree at UVM. John found work at Fonda Container in St. Albans and after her graduation from UVM, Helen was offered a teaching position at BFA which she accepted. They moved to St. Albans and never left.
Helen went on to become head of the English Department at Bellows Free Academy. She initiated an advanced English vocabulary course which proved to be very popular and useful with college bound students. She retired in 1995 after 33 years of teaching.
In 1968 Helen and John purchased a summer camp on Lake Champlain, where they spent summers for the 52 years they owned it. In 1970, they purchased a home on Prospect Hill, which they lived in for 32 years before moving to a condo in Swanton in January of 2003.
Helen and John had multiple opportunities to travel, and they did! They were chaperones for several student exchange programs with BFA and the St. Albans, England, high school, hosting the English chaperones when they made the reciprocal visits to Vermont. They also travelled extensively on their own, with major trips to Alaska, England, France, Germany with a rail trip through much of Europe, to Australia, Russia with Project Harmony and Turkey, with his sister and niece. Also they discovered the joys of cruising with many repeat cruises, mostly in the Caribbean
Helen was predeceased by her parents, her brother Lawrence Williams and sister-in-law June (Brown) Williams, nephews Douglas Williams and Donald Williams
Helen is survived by her husband John Armington Newton, by nephew David Williams and wife Rindy and their son Nate, by nephew Dennis Williams and wife Barbara Colgrove and their three sons, Ian and fiancée Melissa, Taylor and wife Sarita, Jamison and wife Arielle; by niece Jane Williams, her daughter Erin and son Maxwell and by niece Patricia Williams and her son Ryan and wife Katrina and daughter Josie; and by niece Donna and husband James Graf, their son Michael and grandson, Cameron; by niece Kathy and husband Steve Hurley, their son Jack; by nephew William Calbeck and wife Faith; by niece Linda and husband Charles Huber, their two daughters, Alanya (Allie) and Carlotta (Carly).
A celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Bliss Room in the St. Albans Museum. Refreshment and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. Prayer service to be offered at 6:00 PM.
Helen will be interred in the Norwich University Cemetery at Northfield, Vermont at the convenience of the family and Norwich University.
Expressers of sympathy are requested to consider a donation to the John A. and Helen W. Newton Scholarship Fund at the University of Vermont Foundation, 411 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401 or to any educational organization of your choice.
Arrangements by the Heald Funeral Home and Norwich University. Messages of condolence are welcome at www.healdfuneralhome.com.
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