Anita Newberry

Anita Simpson Storey Newberry

Anita Newberry was born on October 10, 1923 (96 ½) in Breckinridge, Texas and stepped into His perfection at 4:55 a.m. on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 in Crowley, Texas. Because Anita lived to 96 ½ years, she is preceded in death by almost all of her nuclear family-her mom, Mary Hester Rinehart, her dad, A. J. Simpson, Sr., her grandparents, Myrtle and R.H. Deering, Uncle Eugene McCord, two brothers, Walter Vernon Rinehart, and A.J. Simpson, Jr., both husbands, Bobby Storey and Vinton Newberry, her oldest daughter, Patricia Gayle Storey Jones, and her daughter-in-law, Cheryl Newberry.
Anita had a really remarkable life. She was born during the roaring twenties to a mom who would become a young divorcee and a grandmother born in the 1800's who was also a divorcee. That was NOT normal-which is a wild beginning to a wonderful life. She lost her mom when she was only 11 and was raised by her very old, entrepreneurial maternal grandmother, Myrtle Kessler McCord Deering. Because Myrtle was an entrepreneur, they moved around A LOT! Anita went to many different schools in many different towns. Most of this time was during the Great Depression. Anita was lucky during that time because her grandmother always had a boarding house or restaurant that escaped much of the hardship of the depression. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1941. Anita was a wonderful singer, so she went to East Texas State Teachers College in Commerce, Texas, majoring in music. She loved college, but guess what happened at the end of her first semester-Pearl Harbor! She returned to school for the spring semester, but with one big difference--no young men. Like everyone she went to work in the war effort. She worked at North American, car manufacturer turned aircraft manufacturer. While working she met her new best friend, Dolly Storey Gresham. Dolly introduced her to her wild and wonderful, huge family, the Storey clan-Daddy Jack, Big Mama and her 8 siblings. Most of the boys were already away at war, but Anita eventually met them all. Anita was raised with her brother, Walter, so this big family was like heaven to her. She quickly fell in love with all of them, but when she met the youngest brother, the devilishly handsome, Bobby Storey, her world exploded! They fell madly in love and married on June 12, 1943. Over the next 16 years they had 4 children. The first years were very happy, but Bob suffered from post-traumatic stress before they knew it existed and became unable to support his large family. They divorced in 1958, when her youngest was only 6 weeks old. Now, a very poor mother of four children, Anita had to support her children all on her own. While Anita worked as a bookkeeper for North American during the war, she held many jobs through the years. She was working at CJM Packing Company during the end of her first marriage and for many years after that. The people at CJM, Clark J Matthews, Howard Glass and Betty Hudson became her family while she supported her 4 children on $1.10 an hour. Her work "family" helped her in many ways during this time!
In 1959, her eldest daughter met a kid named David Newberry. They began dating. They were young, so one day, David's dad went with him to pick Gayle up for a date. Well, the rest is history, and on September 4, 1959, Vinton Newberry took on a poor divorcee and her four children. Vinton came into the marriage with his three children from his first marriage. While they never lived all together, they became a yours, mine and ours, with the "ours" coming in 1965-finishing off the huge family of 8 children. Anita and Vinton raised her 4 and their 1 on a very minimal salary. He never made more than $10,000 a year, but the children never wanted for anything and were raised with great memories, some not so great, and lots of love! Vinton passed away in September of 1990. Anita never married again, but spent many years making wonderful memories with her many friends, children, grandchildren and many great and great, great grandchildren. Anita was always the life of any party-if you ask anyone who knew her, she had a contagious laugh and an evil wit. She loved to play games and taught many of her grandchildren to count while playing. She is well remembered by all for her smile and her generous spirit-she was the keeper of the birthdays! Her grandchildren remember fondly always receiving a birthday card every year-usually with a couple of $1 bills inside it.
While Anita's final years were spent in poor health, failed memory and sad quality of life, her friends during this time still remember her for her great smile, sweet spirit and her hats! She loved hats! She had a different hat for every day, every occasion. If you knew her, you knew her hats!
Anita is survived by a huge extended family. Her brother, Louis Lee Simpson and wife Kathy of Wichita Falls, Texas; children, Robert Eugene Storey and wife Bonita of Terrell, Texas; Mary Anita Oliver and husband, Ronald Leon of Kerrville, Texas; Susan Elizabeth Cornell and husband John Dean of Burleson, TX; Paul Newberry of Houston, Texas; Warren Bruce Newberry and wife Annette of Canton, Texas; David Allen Newberry and wife Cheryl (deceased) of Ft. Worth, Texas; Janice Elaine Collins and husband Robert Daniel of Keller, TX. She had 19 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 20 great-great grandchildren. Anita also had 2 bonus daughters, a bonus granddaughter, many nephews and nieces, friends and others too numerous to count.