Kathleen Newbury

Kathleen (Kay) Newbury, 87, passed away Jan. 17 at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. She was born June 7, 1921 in Porterville, Calif., to Adrian and Eileen Elliot. Her father was a rancher so she spent her growing years on various citrus ranches in the San Joaquin Valley along her brother and sisters. Kay attended elementary school in Lemon Cove, high school in Woodlake and junior college in Visalia, all in California. Following graduation from junior college she ventured to Los Angeles to work; her very first official employment was with the Los Angeles office of the FBI. It was while in Los Angeles that Kay met her husband-to-be, Edward S.E. (Newby) Newbury. They were wed in Fairbury, Neb., in December 1944, where she embarked on her new life as an Air Force Wife.

Through Newby’s various postings they lived in Hawaii, South Carolina, Missouri, Virginia, San Rafael, Calif., and Oklahoma City. During a tour in Ramstein, Germany they were blessed with the adoption of two children, 3-week-old Lisa, and 1-year-old Kelly. This new family returned to the States so Newby could pursue his career in the Air Force. Kay, in the meantime, was adjusting to her new role as a mother in addition to serving as a senior officer’s wife with all its attendant responsibilities. Newby’s final assignment was at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage. He elected to retire at the completion of that tour in 1970. They chose to remain in Alaska even though they both were born and raised in California. They found a charming log cabin in the woods near Palmer for their first civilian home in 30 years. The children completed their schooling in Palmer and went on to follow their own life paths, Kelly in the Navy and Lisa as a wife and mother.

Luckily for Kay, the six-sided one-room cabin morphed into a comfortable home with elegant views of Pioneer Peak. They enjoyed life in this setting, building a new circle of friends and finding new pursuits very different from their experiences in the Air Force. Sadly, Newby was stricken with cancer and passed away in 1984. Kay found herself in a new occupation as an administrative assistant to Fred and Sara Machetanz, a role she thoroughly enjoyed until they both passed on. She became quite the expert at describing Fred’s paintings, recalling the inspiration for and particular order in which he completed each one.

Kay is survived by her son Kelly and his wife Debi, daughter Lisa and husband Greg Dellinger, sister Margaret Elliot of Yorba, Calif., two grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews.

Arrangements were with Kehl’s Palmer Mortuary.