Patricia Ann Minton Newton

Patricia Ann Minton Newton died painlessly in her sleep during the early morning of May 19, 2025, in her home in Burlington, North Carolina, following several weeks' decline due to the effects of secondary cancer. She was 93.

"Patsy" came from the college town of Conway, Arkansas, the third daughter of a respected professor and educator, Dr. Hubert Lee Minton, and his wife Lucy Williams Minton. Upon her graduation from Arkansas State Teacher's College (ASTC; now University of Central Arkansas, or UCA) in 1952, Patsy applied for and was awarded ASTC's first Fulbright Scholarship, under the program which had been created in 1946 through the efforts of Arkansas' then-senator, J. William Fulbright. Through this program, established early in the post-war period "to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries," Patsy spent a year (1952-53) at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. Among her other experiences, she had the opportunity to witness the coronation festivities of Queen Elizabeth II. During her time in Britain, she met a young Rhodes Scholar, originally from Statesboro, Georgia, who became her husband and the father of her children.

Following Patsy's marriage to Seaborn Alton Newton, Jr., they raised a family of five children, first in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then in Bethesda, Maryland, where the family moved in 1958. Maryland was her home base for many years while her children were growing up and going off to college and graduate school. She spent 17 years as a church secretary and administrator at Bethesda First Baptist Church.

Patsy and Al moved back to Arkansas in 2001; Al died in 2003. Patsy immersed herself in her lifelong passions: serving UCA as an active alumna, participating on the Board of Directors for the Conway Advocates for Bicycling, and supporting the Conway Symphony. Patsy served two terms on the UCA Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2003-2005 and 2007-2013; she served as secretary in 2005. In 2013 she received the UCA Alumni Service Award.

Patsy was a talented pianist, a trained organist and an excellent choral singer – she was always a member of a church choir. One of her greatest joys was singing choral music with her children, all of whom are musical and continue to pursue music in their lives.

Patsy was a gregarious and free-spirited woman who lived her life on her terms. She was open to new challenges, such as learning to ski at the age of 45, or taking up distance bicycling in her sixties. She loved cars and road trips, frequently making the solo drive between Conway and her children's homes in Maryland and North Carolina. Following the death of her sister Sarah, Patsy decided to move back east in 2022 to be nearer her children.

Patsy is survived by her brother, Hubert Lee Minton, Jr, and his wife Elizabeth, of Memphis, Tennessee; her five children (Sheila Newton of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Robert Newton of Gambrills, Maryland, and Southern Pines, North Carolina; Diane Mountain of Baltimore, Maryland; Steven Newton of Silver Spring, Maryland; and Thomas Newton of Gaithersburg, Maryland) and their spouses/partners; also ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Patsy's memory may be made to the H.L. Minton Student Assistance Fund (www.uca.edu/go/Minton Scholarship). A memorial gathering to honor Patsy is being planned for Oct. 18, 2025, 2 p.m., at UCA's Buffalo Hall in Conway, Arkansas.