Obituary of Paul Francis Newton

Paul Francis Newton, a retired warehouse manager for Jordan Marsh passed away after an extended illness on Thursday morning, January 30, 2020. He was 77 years old. Paul was born in Cambridge and grew up in Somerville. He was one of 3 children born to Arthur and Anna Newton. He was a graduate of Somerville High School and then earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Franklin Institute. Other than part time jobs while going to school, Jordan Marsh was the only company he ever worked for. He spent almost 40 years with the company retiring as their warehouse manager at their Squantum facility. He retired when he was 58 years old. He lived in Somerville, then Burlington for 18 years, before retiring at the Villages in Florida, which was the perfect location for his lifestyle. Paul was a man who loved being active, outdoors, and sharing time with his friends. He played in numerous softball, bowling, and golf leagues during his working years. He was quite a good golfer in his day. His years in the Villages were spent golfing, being active, and soaking up the Florida sunshine. He was a huge Boston sports fan. He had season tickets to the Boston Bruins during the Bobby Orr and Phil Espisito era. He also has season tickets to the Patriots. As much as he like being on the go, he could also enjoy a peaceful summer day sitting by his pool, reading a good book, and working on his tan. He will be remembered by his family as the fun brother and uncle who embraced and lived life rather than just watching it pass by. Paul was the brother of Arthur “Bob” Newton & his wife Pauline of Burlington and the late Helen Graham & her late husband David. He was the uncle of Ellen Graham of Chelmsford, Claire Cronin of Wilmington, Judy Newton of Burlington, Paula Mountain of Danvers, Arthur “Bobby” Newton, Jr. of Orlando, FL, David Newton of Beaverton, OR, James Newton of Burlington, and the late Ann Marie Graham. He was also survived by 15 great nieces and nephews and many friends. A visitation will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Tuesday, February 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Malachy Church, 99 Bedford St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Services will conclude with a burial in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Paul’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society, 3 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 or www.cancer.org. For directions obituary & online guestbook see www.saint-malachy.org or www.sullivanfuneralhome.net Words of Remembrance by Claire Cronin, Paul's niece I’d like to say a few words today on behalf of Uncle Paul. These days, many people have a desire to fit in, to go with the grain, and to live their lives like others think they should. What I admire about Paul is that he lived life on his own terms in a way that made him happy. It may not be the path that many others choose, but it was his, and it is what he wanted. For example, Paul never wanted to get married, but yet he had a lot of friends all who were married with children. In fact, his brother Bob and wife Pauline had 5 children in 6 years- That may be the reason he chose not to have any… it might have scared him off. In fact, it would scare anyone off. But seriously, I really think Paul was closer with his friends then his family. Or at least treated his friends and family the same. He is the godfather to many of his friend’s kids, although it wasn’t his path, being a godparent is a testament and a tribute to how much others cared for him as a person and friend. He loved cars and every 3 years he would get a new one. One year when we were younger he bought a red convertible. He took me, Ellen and Anne Marie to the drive-in. We didn’t get to do a lot as kids so this was super cool. The night started off great,….until we found out the 2nd movie was R rated.. and he booked it out of that drive in pretty fast. Although Paul had plenty of friends, he wasn’t much of a “social butterfly” – he was introverted and often serious. But he was a devoted and loving son who was with his mother until the day she died. I always appreciated and respected him for that. Paul loved to read and sunbathe….He may have liked the sun a little too much, but it eventually led him to Florida where he was the happiest. He was lucky enough to retire young and he took up golf. He’d play with my husband Bob, son-in law Matt and the guys from time to time ~ and from what they say, he was quite good.! But, the winters were getting to him so off to Florida he went, and he never looked back. I would call Uncle Paul on a weekly basis and we would have the exact same conversation every week…. How much he LOVED Florida. His villa, the weather, Golfing- driving to Dunkin Donuts for his coffee and 2 donuts. etc, he LOVED everything about Florida! “When was I coming down next”? He always ended the conversation with an invitation for a few days- only a few days. So when Paul got sick, we knew we could never make him leave the place he loved. And, thanks to my cousin Bobby who lives in Florida, he didn’t have to!! Bobby really stepped up and took over his care and we will be forever grateful to him for that!!! The illness that robbed Paul of his life was a cruel one and it’s so hard to remember him that way. And it’s certainly not the way I want to or plan to…. I’m going to miss him very much. He was that little piece of family, that piece to my mother that kept us bonded. I am glad he's not suffering anymore and I’m even more glad that I got to spend a lot more time with him over the last 6 months. Regretfully, I often would complain about the trips to Florida- taking time off of work, the expense of the airfare, hotel, renting a car, and just how exhausting it was to do in a short period of time. Paul never once asked me to come, I WANTED to go~ And what I wouldn’t give to have to go just one more time! I saw this lovely quote on a card: You never lose the ones you love for even when their gone, within the hearts of those that care, their memory lives on! Paul is gone, but not forgotten!!