Newport, Gladys

NEWPORT (Wright), Gladys Beulah

Gladys Beulah (Wright) Newport, 98, of Trussville, Alabama, died Wednesday January 10, 2024. She was born September 27, 1925, in Whitley, Kentucky to Luther and Myrtle (Sams) Wright. She was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings; husband Claude Newport; infant son, Donald Newport, and son-in-law James Willman. She is survived by her beloved daughter Sarah Willman, of Trussville; sons Jerry (Su-Ann) Newport of Springfield, Ohio, and Claude Jr. (Karen) Newport of Millstadt, Illinois; grandchildren, James Willman (Kelsey Crislip), David (Ashley) Willman, Brooke (Chad) Kamke, Lindsay (Zac) Frommer, Jeremy (Emily) Newport, Jesse (Ellie Blake) Newport, Kirby (Regina) Newport; nineteen great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. Gladys was a coal miner's daughter and grew up and attended school in Southeastern Kentucky. As a young woman during WWII, Gladys moved to the Cincinnati area where she worked riveting airplanes as the archetypal "Rosie the riveter." After the war, she returned to Kentucky where she met and married her future husband Claude (a veteran of the 10th Mountain Division). They moved to Ohio in the late 1940's and raised three children there. They lost an infant son in 1956. After her husband died, Gladys lived most of her final years in Trussville, Alabama with her daughter Sarah and son-in-law James who were her devoted caregivers. She loved cooking and was a talented seamstress. She was a member of Trussville First Baptist Church. Gladys was a talented, kind person who lived a long, productive life, and was beloved by her immediate and extended families. The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to the staff at East Glen Nursing Facility and Aveanna Hospice of Birmingham. Family and friends are invited to gather on Thursday, January 18, 2024 from 10:30 to 11:30am in the LITTLETON & RUE FUNERAL HOME, where a celebration of Gladys' life will begin at 11:30am, Pastor Thomas Brodbeck officiating. Interment will follow in Ferncliff Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may be shared by visiting www.littletonandrue.com.

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