John T. Newlin

John T. Newlin, age 102, of Terre Haute died December 31, 2023.  He was born December 2, 1921, in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Charles C. and Mayme A. Newlin. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie A. Newlin, son, John S. Newlin, daughter, Sara A. Newlin, his parents, and brother Charles W. Newlin.

Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Thomas C. and Laurice Newlin, daughter-in-law, Kristina Newlin, five grandchildren, Katy Newlin Smith (Jeff), John K. Newlin (Carolyn), T.C. Newlin (Taleen), Christopher Newlin (Jenny), and Brian Newlin (Mandi), 11 great-grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews.

John graduated from Wiley High School in 1939. He married Marjorie Ann McCandless, December 27, 1942. He obtained a degree in civil engineering from Rose Polytechnic Institute in February, 1943, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, National Academic Honor Society and ATO social fraternity.

Having four years of Reserve Officers Training at Rose, John went directly into the US Army at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, and became a Second Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was assigned to the 867th Engineer Aviation Battalion at Eglin Field, Florida. The battalion went by ship from New Orleans to a base at Milne Bay in New Guinea for several months, then to a base at Tacloban, Leyte in the Philippines, and finally to a base at Batangas, Luzon, Philippines. The battalion did road maintenance and general construction work at the various bases. When the war ended, the battalion was building an army hospital in anticipation of the invasion of Japan, which thankfully was never used.  John was always proud of his military service.

When John returned to Terre Haute after his army service, he was employed by Rose Polytechnic as an instructor in Civil Engineering. He enjoyed teaching and was considered an outstanding teacher.  Sons, John S. and Tom were born in 1947 and 1949 while John was teaching at Rose. In 1950, with financial help from the G.I. Bill and Rose, John and Marjorie and the two young boys lived in a veteran housing project in Iowa City while John obtained a master’s degree from the State University of Iowa. The degree was based on research and classes in Fluid Mechanics at the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research.

John wanted to continue his education, so John, Marjorie, and the two boys spent the summer of 1951 in a housing project at Willow Run, Michigan, while John earned additional post graduate credits at the University of Michigan. On a drive back to Terre Haute, he decided that he should consider being associated with his father’s real estate business, Newlin Johnson Co., Inc.

And so, in 1953 John became a Realtor the same year his daughter, Sally, was born. He was President of Newlin Johnson Co. Inc., now Newlin Miller for over 50 years. He also was involved in property management and real estate appraising. John qualified as a member of the Appraisal Institute (MAI) and as a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management. He served as president of the Indiana Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. He organized North Acres Development Corporation, The Progress Building Corporation, and managed both companies. He was a member of the Terre Haute Board of Realtors (President), Indiana Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors.

Marjorie died in 2014 after their perfect marriage of 72 years. John became a member of St. Patrick Church in 2015.

John was active in many community affairs. He was the scoutmaster of Troop 31 at St. Patrick’s School. He was an active Kiwanian for over 60 years and served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Terre Haute.  John also was chairman of the Wabash Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and active on the board of the Terre Haute Girl Scouts, as well as several other philanthropic and social organizations.

Visitation will be from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home, 605 South 25th Street.  Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 AM on Friday, January 5 in St. Patrick Church, 19th and Poplar Streets, with Father Todd Riebe officiating. Pallbearers are: Tom Newlin, TC Newlin, Chris Newlin, Brian Newlin, John K. Newlin, Jeff Smith, Stewart Smith, and Thomas Newlin. Burial with Military Graveside Honors conducted by American Legion Post #104 will be in Highland Lawn Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, if you so desire, a contribution to Catholic Charities or to the charity of your choice may be made.  Funeral information and tributes may be found at www.callahanandhughes.com.