- Date Of Birth: November 27, 1917
- Date Of Death: February 16, 2011
- State: West Virginia
Jeanne Wyckoff Menear Newhouse, age 93, of Grafton passed away Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at Grafton City Hospital, following a hospital stay of 12 hours. She resided at Mayles Private Care Home in Taylor County for the last several months of her life and was also briefly in Rosewood Nursing and Rehab Center. She resided in her own home on Washington Street, Grafton, until the age of 92 with help from her daughter Linda, son-in-law Joseph Bittinger, and granddaughter Mindy Gibson Larew. She was born in Grafton, November 27, 1917, to the late Claire Wyckoff Menear and William “Golden” Menear. Her husband, Michael Emmett Newhouse, Sr. preceded her in death in 1974, they were united in marriage February 1, 1941, in Fairmont, WV. Jeanne is survived by: her daughter and longtime caregiver, Linda Bittinger and husband Joseph, of Grafton; daughter, Diane and Dr. Norman Cowen; two sons, Dr. Mike Newhouse and wife Mary, of Virginia, and Danny and wife Brenda, of Martinsburg; grandchildren, Mindy Gibson-Larew, her caretaker, and her husband Ben, of Grafton, Dr. Charles and wife Rachael Newhous, of Virginia, Christopher Newhouse, of Virginia, Michael Paul Newhouse, of Baltimore, John Flanagan and wife Rome, of Virginia, James Flanagan, of Virginia, Vincent, Zack, and Allie Newhouse, of Martinsburg; and step-granchildren, Jason Bittinger and wife Mandi, of Martinsburg, Joey Bittinger and wife Stephanie, of Worthington, WV, Lisa Esphinia and husband Jorge, of Florida; great grandchildren, Briar Larew, Brady and Blake Bittinger, Trye and John Michael Bittinger, Christopher Flanagan, Ashley and Katelyn Flanagan, Lydia and Benjamin Newhouse, and Payne and Brandi Vincent; brother-in-law, Ernie Newhouse and wife Monnie, of Virginia; and her cat “Lady”, and all the outside cats she cared for. In addition to her husband she was preceded in death by: a sister, Lucille Menear in infancy; brothers, Kenneth, Norman, and Harold Menear; and a daughter-in-law, Patricia Fawcett Newhouse; brother-in-laws,, Wilbur, William, and Joseph Newhouse; her mother-in-law, Mary Newhouse. She was the last remaining member of her immediate family. Jeanne was a graduate of Grafton High School at Central High in 1936, and attended Fairmont State College. Jeanne was a homemaker, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She previously worked in child care for several families, she loved children. She was the past 4-H leader, a member of the GHS All Sports Mothers, and the Taylor County Senior Center, where she attended regularly until the age of 91 when all the steps became a chore. She was Valentine Queen at the Taylor County Senior Center in 1998, and enjoyed playing card and bingo with friends there. She enjoyed the Senior Center trips in the past and especially liked going to the Buckwheat Festival each year. In years past she enjoyed traveling to Cool Springs with her late brother-in-law, William “Ciggie” Newhouse and his wife Delores of Rivesville. She had two very close friends, the late Nellie Grow, and Nellie Duvall who resides in Grafton. She enjoyed attending the GHS football games and watching her granddaughter Mindy perform as a majorette. Jeanne was affiliated with the First Baptist Church of Grafton and as a child sang at the Scotch Hill Church in Fellowsville, where her grandparents, great-grandparents, and their descendants, including the Larew’s and Menear’s lay to rest. She was able to attend the Scotch Hill Church Hog Roast at age 90. She enjoyed eating out and loved babysitting her granddaughter Mindy. Jeanne loved animals of all kinds, but had a special place in her heart for cats, she loved to watching the groundhogs and deer in her yard. She loved music, and played the organ, piano, and guitar, and liked to sing. She would always sing her favorite song “You are my Sunshine” to her granddaughter. She also enjoyed painting and sculpting. Her daughter Linda hosted a 90th birthday party for Jeanne at Westchester Village in Fairmont, where a video was taken and is available for viewing. When Linda visited her everyday she always parted by saying “see ya later alligator”, and Jeanne would say “after while crocodile.
