Karen Darlene (Horning) Newton

Karen Darlene (Horning) Newton, 66, unexpectedly passed away on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, at the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow.

Services will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow, followed by a luncheon at the Glasgow Elks Club.

She was born in Lewistown, Mont., to Clarke and Darlene (Pospisil) Horning on May 8, 1950. She was the oldest of four children. She grew up in Lewistown and graduated with honors from Fergus County High in 1968. She went on to get her masters of education at Eastern Montana College in Billings.

In 1972 she moved to Glasgow to start her career in education. She soon caught the eye of local banker Tim Newton while dancing at the Elks Club and they were married on Aug. 3, 1974. The couple built a house on the east side of town next to Tim's parents. In 1980 they had their first child, Andy, followed by their second, Dyan, in 1982.

She taught one year of fifth grade and then moved to fourth grade for the next 28½ years in the Glasgow School system.

She was known for bringing out the best in people. Many students still remember her as being their favorite teacher. She retired from teaching in 2001.

She was an avid sports fan. She would be at every one of Andy's little league games or high school football games. She filled out a March Madness bracket every year and knew all about the up-and-coming players and teams. When her children both lived in Arizona, she became a Cardinals, Suns & Diamondbacks fan. She would try to attend a game whenever she would visit. And if she was at home, she would text them when she was watching an Arizona team from Montana so they could watch it together.

In 2012, she and Tim built a house and moved out to Fort Peck. Their "lighthouse" garage quickly became the place to gather. Karen loved to plan parties and impromptu get-togethers. She was always the first to welcome any new families to the neighborhood and introduce them into their tight-knit community. Their famous Kentucky Derby Party has become an annual tradition combining her love of sports and community. She kept a book of everyone's birthday. She would send a card or gift and try to make you feel special on your day. She also enjoyed being a member of the Soroptimist, Book Club and several coffee groups. Dyan always teased her about being the busiest retired person she knew.

She loved her family. She loved gushing about and sharing pictures of her new granddaughter Zoey and grandson Hunter. Her home décor changed quite a bit as pictures of the two of them filled every room. She couldn't wait for her daily pictures of Zoey to giggle at and share with her friends. She loved watching and cheering Hunter on in his soccer games and wrestling matches. She was so happy and proud to be Grandma Karen.

She touched a lot of hearts and we are grateful for the love and support you have all shown in her sudden passing.

She was preceded in death by her father, Clarke Horning, and mother-in-law, Shirley Newton.

Survivors include her husband, Timothy Newton; one son, Andy Newton and his wife, Sara; one daughter, Dyan Garcia and her husband, Ben; two grandchildren, Hunter William Pierce and Zoey Darlene Garcia; her mother, Ruby Darlene Horning; one sister, Kristine Brisendine and her husband, Geary; two brothers, Russel Horning and his wife, Carey Jo, and Rodney Horning and his wife, Carolyn; her father-in-law, Kenneth Newton; a sister-in-law, Carole Appling; two brothers-in-law, Terry Newton and Ted Newton and his wife, Karen; two sisters-in-law, Lorie Newton Sachs and her husband, Bob, and Lisa McCormick and her husband, Andrew; and numerous nephews and nieces.

Condolences may be left at bellmortuarymontana.com.