Sheila Ann Newton

Sheila Ann Sturcken Newton

June 28, 1949 – January 28, 2025

Mandeville, Louisiana

Sheila Ann Sturcken Newton passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in Mandeville, LA, at the age of 75. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Rolland Sturcken and Marie Combel Sturcken. She is survived by her beloved husband of 56 years, Ray Michael Newton; children, Michael Raymond Newton (Michelle) and Christina Newton Taix (Ray); siblings, Lynne Sturcken Claverie (Dan) and Robert William Sturcken (Dion); grandchildren David Michael Newton (Violet-Rose), Christopher Ryan Newton (Lindsey), Hannah Claire Gegenheimer, Ray Michael Joseph Taix, and Jacob Matthew Taix; five great- granddaughters; as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Sheila was born in New Orleans on June 28, 1949, and grew up with her parents and siblings in a modest home at the corner of Port Street and North Dorgenois. As a junior at Annunciation High School, she met and fell in love with Ray Newton, a De La Salle High School senior. They married on February 1, 1969, beginning a life together filled with love, family, and laughter.

While raising her young family, Sheila pursued a bachelor's degree in Social Counseling from Our Lady of Holy Cross College. She dedicated her career to serving others, working as a social worker at the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office specializing in child support enforcement. To further her career and focus more on religious education, she attended classes at Notre Dame Seminary to become certified as a religion teacher and Director of Religious Education. With boundless creativity and a passion for innovative teaching methods and technology, she inspired students through meaningful experiences that fostered faith and confidence.

A devout Catholic, Sheila centered her life on faith, striving to pass this legacy on to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In her prime, she devoted her days to reading religious works and praying novenas and rosaries, offering heartfelt petitions for her family, and nurturing a profound devotion to the Blessed Mother. Sheila was a deep thinker and, before a stroke limited her abilities, she loved to express herself with written and spoken words. In her final years, her voice was not as strong as it once was, but the wisdom, wit, and love she shared continued to resonate in the hearts of her family and will be the eternal gifts they will cherish with her passing.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass at St. Matthew the Apostle Church, 10021 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge, LA on Friday, February 7, 2025 at 12 noon. Visitation will begin at 10:30 AM. Interment will follow at Garden of Memories Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4900 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA.