Amanuensis Monday: Obituary for Harold Newmark (2003)

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

This week I transcribe the obituary of my great uncle, Harold Newmark. He was brother to my grandfather, Melvin Newmark.

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St. Louis Post Dispatch
March 9, 2003

HAROLD NEWMARK MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ACTIVIST

Harold Newmark, a co-founder and past vice president of the St. Louis chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, died Monday (March 3, 2003) at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield of complications from heart surgery. He was 88 and lived in St. Louis County.

Born and reared in north St. Louis, Mr. Newmark married Janice Liebowits before he enlisted in the Army to serve in World War II. He served primarily with the 101st Airborne Division in Europe.

He returned to St. Louis and began a career in construction, building homes in Creve Coeur and University City.

When his wife began to struggle with the effects of multiple sclerosis, he built their brick home in University City to allow her to remain as independent as possible. The plan included accessible appliances, an intercom system, extra wide doorways and threshold-free pathways for her wheelchair.

Mr. Newmark and his brother-in-law, the late Sanford Kornberg, became active volunteers with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In the 1950s, they were involved in founding what was then called the St. Louis Area Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Mr. Newmark later served as vice president of the chapter. He continued to support his wife in her battle with the disease until her death in 1966.

Mr. Newmark later married Thelma Millstone. They retired to Hilton Head Island, S.C., in 1978.

When his second wife died in 2001, Mr. Newmark returned to his hometown.

A private memorial service will be held later. The body was cremated.

Among his survivors are two sons, ...; two stepdaughters, ...; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.

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Notes:

1.  The Social Security Death Index has Harold's "last address of record" to be in Hilton Head, SC -- even though as the obituary states, he had moved back to St. Louis.

2. Harold naturally appeared in the list of Veterans I posted on Thursday.  A couple years ago I posted a photograph taken during the war.

3. I've also posted a photograph before of Harold's mother, and my great grandmother, Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark helping with the February 1967 Multiple Sclerosis fund drive. St. Louis Cardinals ballplayer Ken Boyer is also in the photograph.