John Elliot Newlin

John E. Newlin, Jr., of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, retired executive of the Carpenter Technology Corporation, died of complications from advanced dementia on February 28, 2007, at the age of 89 years.

Born on March 21, 1917 to John E. and Eleanor (Megary) Newlin, in Philadelphia, John was a direct descendant of Nicholas Newlin, who emigrated to America in 1670. He attended the William Penn Charter School, graduating in 1936. While in school he was a distinguished track and field long distance runner, participating in the Penn Relays. He also followed in his father's footsteps, rowing for the University Barge Club on the Schuylkill River. After completing secondary school, John took on a job with Henry Disston, and Sons, at the same time working toward a degree in metallurgy from the University of Wisconsin and Temple University.

In 1941 he enlisted in the army, and trained at officer's candidate school at Fort Reilly, Kansas. He married Barbara Cushman Newhall on April 1, 1942. After being stationed in Fort Reilly, he served a stint in Florida. While stateside, he and several other troopers rode a string of horses from Indiantown Gap to Georgia. He was promoted to Captain before being shipped to France in the late summer of 1944, six weeks after the D-Day invasion.

In the European Theater, John led a reconnaissance group whose job was to infiltrate enemy lines to aid in artillery shell bombardment. His troop was instrumental in the liberation of Holland and Belgium, and was honored by the city of Amsterdam on the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. More than 50% of his troop were casualties. At one time, he risked his life to crawl through a mine field to retrieve a wounded comrade. He was decorated with the Bronze and Silver Stars, and returned to the United States in late 1945.

Back with Disston and Sons, he rose to the position of Sales Manager, a post he held until the company was bought out by H.K. Porter of Pittsburgh in 1955. In 1955 he and his family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where John became the Sales Manager for Carpenter Steel. During his long tenure at Carpenter, John eventually rose to the position of Vice President, working with subsidiary companies in Belgium, Brazil, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and France, conducting much of his work from an office in Amsterdam. His work in Brazil took the family to Rio de Janeiro for several months in the late 1970's.

Following his retirement from Carpenter, he explored possible markets for Pennsylvania produced products, and was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce during the Thornburg administration. He accompanied the governor on a number of trips, including one to Beijing.

An avid racquets player, John played interclub squash for the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and later continued with his tennis at the Berks County Tennis Club. He also enjoyed sailing. A strong avocation for him was his art. A fine painter, he was commissioned to create pen and ink drawings of people's houses, he created whimsical family Christmas cards, experimented with sculpture, and made linoleum prints. He loved reading historical biographies and was an avid devotee of classical music.

In later life, John served on the Berks County Conservancy, the Homemaker's Association, and the Friends of the Reading Museum serving a term as each group's president. He was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. In addition to the Philadelphia Cricket Club; he was a member of the Rittenhouse Club; the University Barge Club; the First Troop; Philadelphia City Cavalry; the Wyomissing Club; the Wyomissing Young Republican Club; the Iris Club; the Berkshire Country Club; and the American Association of Metallurgists.

A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he is survived by his wife of 64 years, Barbara C. Newlin, , two sons: John E. Newlin, III, of Wilmington , Delaware, and Paul K. Newlin, of West Whately, Massachusetts, and their wives and his daughter, E. Noel Newlin Yates, and her husband, of Guerneville, California; seven grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and his sister, Eleanor Shankland, of Cleveland, Ohio.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church, in West Reading on Wednesday, March 21, at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice St. Johns, 1711 Hampden Blvd., Reading, PA 19604, or the Berks County Conservancy, 25 North 11th Street, Reading, PA 19601. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading, is in charge of arrangements. www.kuhnfuneralhome.com