Margaret Adelaide Lytle Newman

Margaret Newman, 85, was called home to be with the Lord early Friday morning, October 18, 2024. Her death was not unexpected and we rejoice in the knowledge found in Corinthians 5:8 “…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

In addition to her parents, Margaret is preceded in death by her siblings, Jimmy Lytle and Ann Lytle.

Margaret is survived by her son, James Newman, Jr. (Karen) of Apex, NC; daughter, Cynthia Gilmore (Benjamin) of Statesville, N.C.; grandchildren, Thea Gilmore (Thomas Pippin), Chloe Gilmore, Rachel Newman and Ian Gilmore; and great-grandchild, Adelaide Pippin.

Margaret was born in Fairview, N.C., on May 29, 1939, to the late Walter Lytle and Adelaide Merrell Lytle. Margaret spent the majority of her life in Fairview on her family’s beloved farm, surrounded by the mountains, flowers and trees that she loved. She also loved the ocean, often taking her children to Charleston, S.C., on summer vacations.

Margaret spent most of her working life at the Gerber Products company, serving as a scheduler and planner at both the local and corporate levels. Post retirement, Margaret felt led to serve others, splitting her time between helping female prisoners via the Western North Carolina prison ministry, bookkeeping for churches, delivering meals for Meals on Wheels and sharing her love of gardening.

She attended and was a member of Emma’s Grove Baptist in Fairview and Trinity of Fairview in Fletcher. She made sure her family was in church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and most times on Wednesday night. She was a devoted believer in Christ and attended Bible Studies and Sunday School wherever she was. Her Bible is filled with her notes and ponderings on the mystery of God’s Word.

Margaret had an abiding love for music, notably Southern Gospel. Even though she herself didn’t play, she helped pass down this love to her children. (She always said her piano lessons didn’t stick.) A strong soprano, she and her beloved sister Ann were parts of multiple Southern Gospel groups and traveled across Western NC, singing and sharing the Gospel through song. When her children arrived, Margaret shifted her attention to them, ensuring that they also had the chance to share the Good News of Jesus in song all through their own childhoods. Even in her final days, when most of the world had been lost to her from dementia, the sounds of gospel hymns would change her entire demeanor and she would try to sing along with the familiar choruses.

A dedicated single mother, she worked diligently to make sure her children were able to grow and thrive through numerous activities, whether in school bands, orchestras, music lessons, 4H and of course, church. She was passionate and worked hard to ensure her children both understood and valued the importance of education.

Visitation will be held on October 26th, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Emma’s Grove Baptist Church with funeral services immediately following. Officiating will be Reverend Donnie Chapman. Interment will be in the graveyard at Emma’s Grove alongside her loved ones.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Baptists on Missions (https://baptistsonmission.org/) or Samaritan’s Purse (https://www.samaritanspurse.org/disaster/hurricane-helene/) to help the recovery of the mountains that she so loved.

Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting the family.