Melanie Newton Sims

A Memorial Celebration Gathering will be held at 1:30 pm in Earle, AR on Sunday, April
15th at the United Methodist Church. All family and friends who knew Melanie (born
Mabel) are welcome. A reception will be held afterwards in the Fellowship Hall.
Melanie was born on December 8th, 1933 in Haeffer,AR to Thomas W. Newton and
Mabel Mellie Metzger Newton. She was an only child, born late in her parents' lives.
She died February 21, 2012 in Wynne, AR.
Melanie attended schools in Memphis, TN and Earle, graduating from Earle High
School. She attended Arkansas State College (University) for two years. Melanie was
proud to be a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at ASU.
Talented and gifted in music from a young age, Melanie sang soprano in choirs in
churches and played the piano with great mastery. She and her family moved to West
Memphis, AR where she taught piano and voice lessons for many,many years. She was
a member of and soloist for the Methodist Church in West Memphis. She also earned
a degree in pedagogy from Memphis State University. She returned to Earle later in
life and played the piano and sang at the Earle Methodist Church. Another of
Melanie's creative talents included showing flowers around the Mid-South. She won
many ribbons and awards for her gorgeous arrangements and designs. Melanie also
became an accredited Flower Show Judge in several areas such as Ikebana (Japenese),
and for different species of flowers especially the iris and roses. She belonged to
garden clubs in Earle, West Memphis, and Memphis.
Melanie (Mabel Newton) was Miss Crittenden County- "Back in the day" and always
took pride in trying to look "put-together." She participated in the Arkansas Home
Care Association statewide Queen pageant after winning the local and district
contests representing Crestpark Nursing Home in Wynne,AR. where she resided the
last three years of her life. She had "fun" being in the "beauty pageant." She was
named 1st runner up in the 2009 pageant.
Melanie is survived by her children Elisa and Tom. Elisa and her partner Deborah
Morris live in Columbia, MO and Tom and his wife Karen live in Jonesboro, AR. Their
two sons are Shea Sims and Skyler Sims, both of Jonesboro.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributers are asked to go to the Earle United Methodist
Church. Messages of sympathy to the family may be made through Emerson Funeral
Home of Jonesboro at www.emersonfuneralhome.com. We especially want to thank
mother's lifelong friends in Earle, SueAnn Elms and Janis Lancaster for their love and
care through the years.