Cloydia was born Oct. 16, 1922, in Hannibal to Alfred A. and Mary E. Rybolt Ahlers.
She was married in San Antonio, Texas on May 10, 1945, to Frederick L. Newton, also of Hannibal. He preceded her in death, Dec. 11, 2000.
She is survived by her son, Frederick (Rick) L. Newton, Jr. (Tanyusha) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and two grandchildren, Erick O. Newton (Pooneh) also of Albuquerque, and Heidi N. Newton of Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Mrs. Newton is also survived by one sister, Helen L. Carns of Ozark, Mo., three nieces and four nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and sister, Nettie Jane Haug.
Cloydia worked for the Burlington Northern Railroad’s District Office and retired in 1983.
She was a member of Park United Methodist Church since 1945. She served on many committees, taught the Children’s Sunday School and was active in the United Methodist Women. She was a Lifetime member of the Hannibal Regional Hospital Auxiliary. Also, she was a member of the Memoir Writers Group of the Hannibal Art Council, having written a book of her family history, “Journey from the Beginning.” She was a charter member of the Mark Twain Home Foundation and a longtime supporter of the YMCA.
Cloydia was a storyteller who was especially fond of her family’s experiences growing up in Hannibal. In fact, her given name originated at her birth on Head’s Lane after Dr. Cloyd Gus arrived by horse and buggy. Midway through her delivery, the doctor collapsed across the bed and passed away. Her parents then named her Cloydia and her middle name, Joel, was borrowed from their neighbor, Joel Hastings, who actually completed the delivery.
Cloydia also loved to tell the harrowing story of her sister, Nettie Jane, and her two falls off of Lover’s Leap in 1937 during a Girl Scout picnic. Hiking along a ledge just beneath the top of Lover’s Leap, Nettie slipped, fell and rolled 70 feet or so. Since she couldn’t be reached by workers in the train yard, she attempted to climb back to the top. She slipped again and descended through a tree and down the rocky slope. She was rescued by CB&Q trainmen who had stopped their train to save her.
Cloydia is featured in a 2016 article:
Before relocating, Cloydia Newton shares 93 years of Hannibal history
By Bev Darr
Hannibal Courier-Post reporter
Memorials may be made to Park United Methodist Church, in care of the Smith Funeral Home & Chapel.
Online condolences may be made to family on Cloydia’s memorial page at http://www.smithfuneralhomeandchapel.com/obituaries/Cloydia-Newton/