To honor her enduring and amazing spirit, the 2010 Relay for Life is dedicated to Vickie Newton. As told by her sister, Camille Newman, “ Vickie was a remarkable person, who gave it her all, doctors gave her a life expectancy of only 6 months and she fought it for 2 years.”
The Relay for Life, an event held to raise awareness and funding for cancer and cancer research, will be held at Gordon Wood Stadium in Brownwood on June 5th through the 6th. The event begins at 6pm Friday and ends Saturday morning. Over 70 teams have registered for the event as of mid May according to Relay officials. This year’s relay is expected to be a record breaking event in Brown County’s Relay for Life history, bringing a great tribute to Newton and other cancer patients and survivors who are celebrated and remembered during the event.
Vickie Newton was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June of 2007, fighting the battle until she passed away February 17, 2009 at the age of only 52. She is described as having been “always upbeat, inspiring the people around her,” according to Newman.
Most dear to her was her family, which consists of her husband, Thomas Newton; Children: Johnny Newton, Bo Newton, Jewel Thomas Newton, and Charlie Newton; and 12 grandchildren.
She was a resident of Lake Brownwood and loved fishing, cooking and working hard in the yard on flowerbeds & etc. Her family said, “She could cook anything you could think of.”
When her brother Bert Jordan passed away, Vickie took up his business, Bert’s Tanks, along with the other businesses she and Thomas ran together.
Vickie loved vacationing, particularly cruises. Her dream trip had been to go to Hawaii, which she was able to do in June of 2006. During her last cruise, she didn’t feel well, but had the enduring spirit to climb the rock wall onboard the ship and ring the bell, meeting what seemed to be another near impossible goal for her.
Newman stated, “She was an amazing person.” In her memory, the family has a goal of having the entire track lined with luminaries. There are 2000 luminaries that will be lit at this year’s Relay according to Lainey Hall of Lighthouse Hospice. This number will line the track with 5 luminaries per meter, meeting the goal.
As of this week, Relay for Life officials report $41,000 raised, with more money to be turned in at the event this weekend. Some teams have raised as much as $1000 or more. One team in particular has reported over $5000 in funds raised. Saturday morning’s totals should be great, hopefully meeting a goal of $110,000. Last year the Relay for Life raised $98,000 total.