A Mass of Christian Burial for Bernice Newton will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 26, 2016 at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church with the Rev. Stephen Scott Chemino, V.G. officiating. Burial will follow in the Pythian Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Hixson-Ducote Funeral Home of Bunkie.

BERNICE LEMOINE NEWTON, age 87, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on February 23, 2016, following a brief illness. The family will receive friends and those wishing to pay their respects at a visitation to be held on Thursday, February 25, 2016, at Hixson-Ducote Funeral Home of Bunkie from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm with a rosary being recited at 6:00 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 am until 9:45 a.m.

Bernice was born in Cottonport, Louisiana on January 26, 1929, to Blumes and Lily Bird Lemoine. She was the oldest of eight children. Bernice graduated from Cottonport High School in 1946. She attended University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, in May, 1951. She married Durwood Newton in 1953 and moved to Bunkie, LA, where she resided until February 2013 when she moved to Sunrise Assisted Living on Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge, LA.

Bernice was an active part of her community and church. She received the Diocesan Medal in 1981, she was honored by the Bunkie Rotary Club as Citizen of the Year in 1982, and was chairman of the St. Anthony School Fair Committee for many years. In 1983 she received the Apostolic Blessing from the Pope. Bernice also enjoyed cooking and sharing meals and recipes with her family and friends. Her favorite holidays were Christmas and Easter when she did extensive cooking and decorating.

Bernice was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband of 54 years, her son William "Bill" David Newton, her daughter, Marsha Newton Alford, three sisters, Lucille Lemoine Tracy, Barbara Lemoine Steele and Sandra Lemoine Howard, and, her brother, Stephen Lemoine. Bernice is survived by her daughter, Ava Newton Castro and husband Paul of Baton Rouge, LA; her son, Carl Newton and wife Patty Selber Newton, of Baton Rouge and their two children, William Aaron Newton and Nicole Pamela Newton; her son Mark Newton and wife Janice Carr Newton, of Batchelor, LA and her daughters, Erin Jeansonne and Gina Webber; son, Jeff Newton of Batchelor, LA; son-in-law Donald Alford (Marsha's husband) of Baton Rouge and their children Jake Alford and Elyse Alford. She is also survived by four great grandchildren, her sisters, Cynthia L. Dear of Bunkie, LA, Sharon L. Juneau of Cottonport, LA, and Janice L. Ferguson of Houston, TX.

Serving as pallbearers are Jake Alford, Cale Ferguson, Jimmy Gibson, Brent Lemoine, Michael Newton, William Newton, Johnny Steele and Dr. Paul Steele. Serving as honorary pallbearers are Donald Alford, Paul Castro, LP Carter, Al Ferguson, Carl Juneau, Burton Newton, Lloyd Newton, Fred Pete Newton and Sidney Steele.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers you please consider donations to St. Anthony School, 116 S. Knoll, Bunkie, LA 71322 or St. Anthony Church, 409 St. John, Bunkie, LA 71322. Online condolences may be sent to www.hixson-ducote.com