Avonell Newsom

Avonell Lykins Newsom March 21, 1913 - January 30, 2011 Avonell Lykins Newsom, 97, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 30, 2011, at her home in Snowflake, Arizona, after a brief illness. She was born on March 21, 1913, in Burtonville, Lewis County, Kentucky, to Noah Lee and Mary Katherine Cropper Lykins. She was the second of nine children. Her mother died in childbirth when Avonell was nine years old, leaving four young children. Her father later remarried and the family moved to Elizabethtown, Indiana, when she was a teenager. There she continued her rural life on the farm. She married Lawrence John Newsom, the love of her life, on August 7, 1937 at the age of 24. On August 23, 1942, she and her husband welcomed their one and only child into the world, John Phillip Newsom. She viewed him as her greatest achievement and her pride and joy. In 1952, their little family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in the hope that the climate would help her husbands health. Shortly before her husband passed away in 1958, Avonell went to school to become a cosmetologist and she worked in that field until she retired in 1983 at the age of 70. She owned her own salon for part of that time. Avonell moved to Snowflake in 2000 at the age of 87 to be closer to her son and his family. She lived independently in her own home until her recent short illness. Avonell was a devoted mother, grandmother and aunt who loved her family immensely. She was known for her special sense of humor and her storytelling. Nothing pleased her more than to have visitors in her home. She is also remembered for her wonderful cooking, her fudge, homemade noodles and beautiful quilts. Avonell was a faithful and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She especially enjoyed teaching children in Sunday School and viewed with pride the accomplishments of her students through the years. Avonell is survived by her daughter-in-law, Patricia Newsom; her seven grandchildren, Deborah (Wes) Hargis, Chandra (David) Bair, Jeanine Newsom, Laura (Aaron) Nielson, John R. Newsom, Amberlee (Victor) Jimenez, and Jared L. Newsom; twelve and a half great-grandchildren; her brother, Chester Lykins; and numerous devoted nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, son, parents, and seven siblings. Funeral Information FUNERAL: 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home. BURIAL: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, February 12, at Garland Brook Cemetery in Columbus, Indiana. DirectionsService: Map to Funeral Home