Arnold and Newlin: postscript 1986

Arnie and Newlin, 1952

Arnie and Newlin, circa 1980

There is no transition after death. Newlin and the family's lives changed dramatically after July 4, 1986. Newlin became a widow and went into mourning for a year or more, avoiding social functions for the most part. Her sister Eloise visited frequently during that year and made sure Newlin was never alone during holidays. Andrew and Eric lived at home and continued their studies, while Joel left Florida at the end of the summer for a conference in Europe and then lived in New York City for a year while looking for a job in Academia. Allan came to Florida for the funeral and returned to northern California to resume his life there. 

Newlin worked as an Alachua County school nurse several more years before retiring and working as a traveling nurse for the Florida State Children's Medical Services and she volunteered in Florida's Guardian ad Litem program.

In the early 1990s, Newlin had their son Eddie disinterred from Forest Lawn in Glendale and re-interred in the Tallahassee Memory Gardens in the family plots there. (This was done largely because Arnie's sister Laura had cancer so moving Eddie from Bill and Hazel's four plots in Glendale made room for Laura next to her sister and parents when she died in 1992. But it was also part of a long term plan for moving Eddie when Arnie and Newlin found a "final resting" place. Eddie's casket had been put in a vault so it could be disinterred more easily. Newlin was not able to be present for the reinterment so her sisters Eloise and Floreine had to do the grim job of verifying the body in the casket before it could be placed in the ground.) 

Of the four plots in Tallahassee with Arnie and Eddie flanking an empty one reserved for Newlin, the fourth was promised to Joel since as a gay man he had no prospects for marriage in 1986 and had no plans to have or adopt children, so he was expected to die alone.

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Arnold and Newlin: 1985

Arnold was quite ill by 1985 with a heart condition and difficulties after a series of strokes. He took up hydroponic gardening and grew lots of tomatoes.

Arnie's hydroponic tomatoes

Arnie was recognized by the U.S. Army for his regular Army service 1942–1944 and Army Air Force 1944–1946

back side of the Army recognition

Joel finished his PhD at the Ohio State University Department of Linguistics with a dissertation Finnish Particle Clitics and General Clitic Theory, that was the first in the Garland series Outstanding Dissertations in Linguistics. Arnie and Newlin fly up for his graduation in snowy December.

Joel in Columbus, 1985

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Arnold and Newlin: Eric 1983

Photos of Eric from 1983:

Eric at the prom, Buchholz High School

Newlin and Arnie with Buchholz High School graduate Eric

Eric in his dorm room, University of Alabama

Newlin maintains her nurse's registration with the State of Florida:

Newlin's certificate as a registered professional nurse from the Florida State Board of Nursing

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Arnold and Newlin: Andrew and Allan 1980

Some time around 1980 the orange couch got replaced by another couch, purchased from the estate of a Mrs Slater, who had a home furnished with modern Scandinavian furniture that was not wanted by her husband's children.

Andrew in the family room

Andrew by the front door

Andrew

Andrew by the car port

Allan

Allan in the kitchen

Allan asleep on the living room couch

Matt Rausch with Andrew

Andrew

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Arnold and Newlin: 1980

Here is the house at 3448 NW 11th Avenue in 1980. It has the original paint scheme of 1960: pink, turquoise, and brown cedar. The carport has not been closed in, despite a plan to do it from the early 1970s. The bricks in the planter in the first photo came from an old mechanic's garage in downtown Gainesville. When they tore down that garage, Joel and Allan assume they were going to toss the bricks so they started loading the trunk of the car with bricks until a police officer came by and told them the bricks were to be recycled into the new plaza. But the officer said he would look the other way as Allan and Joel left with what they had already collected. 

The camellia by the front door always bloomed in December in time for Christmas. Neighbors would stop by to request a few blossoms for their Christmas decor, and Newlin never hesitated to say yes. A second camellia balanced the living room window by the carport; it bloomed a few months later at the end of winter. In the planter around the tree she grew several colors of amaryllis. 

Arnie bought a number of narrow, woven wool ties in Sweden (mostly in Lapland) in 1970, and preferred that style to the wide ties popular in the 1970s and 1980s.

Arnie and Newlin with an acquaintance at an event

Allan, Ava, Arnie, Newlin, Eric, and Andrew on the "porch"

Arnie on Father's Day

Doug Weldon was Eric's close friend from Westwood Middle School:

Doug Weldon with Eric and Andrew

Eric in his parents' bedroom (painting of Eddie)

Eric, Arnie and Andrew

Newlin in an RV

Newlin in her kitchen; those years had tangerine paint

Newlin, Arnie, and Jeannie Uhrig

We usually stayed at the Wakulla Spring Hotel when the Ashmore family reunion was held there. Most of the Ashmore siblings and their families were within driving distance of Wakulla Springs.

Eric, Arnie and Andrew at the Wakulla Springs Hotel

Eric, Allan, Arnie, Andrew, and Joel at the Wakulla Springs Hotel

Newlin's business card as a school nurse

In 1980 we still had the orange vinyl fold-out couch in the family room. Eric is on a tubular "bean bag" that Joel and Newlin made in the mid 1970s. It, too, was vinyl, and some thirteen feet long and maybe twenty inches in diameters. Filled with shredded foam rubbed, it could be arranged in a number of ways for watching television and was popular with the boys and their friends for slouching on.

Eric relaxing in the family room

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Arnold and Newlin: 1979

1979 brings Joel's graduation from the University of Florida and other activities (beach, concert, eating watermelon.

Joel in cap and gown, Newlin and Eric

Joel wearing graduation cap and disco glasses

Joel with University of Florida graduate Jeff Prine, December

Eric chomping down on watermelon

Newlin, Eric and Arnie in the back yard

Joel at Crescent Beach

Joel at the beach

Joel dressed a disco cowboy, with friends Rita and Barbie, for a Village People concert

Arnold's Board of Medical Examiners renewal for 1980–1981

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Arnold and Newlin: Andrew graduates 1978

Andrew graduated from Buchholz High School in June 1978. Arnie and Newlin asked a neighbor, Martin Vala, to come over and take photos in the back yard:

Andrew is happy to graduate

Andrew in the back yard

Andrew in his graduation cap and gown

Arnie

Arnie and Andrew with the old tree house in the background

Arnie and Andrew

Arnie and Andrew

Arnie and Andrew

Arnie, Andrew and Newlin

Arnie, Andrew and Newlin

Arnie, Andrew and Newlin in the back yard

Andrew, Arnie and Newlin by the house

Arnie, Andrew and Newlin

They are joined by Andrew's Buchholz classmates (and fellow church members from Westminister Presbyterian Church):

Andrew, Arnie, Newlin, John Dickson, Greg Carlson, and Jeff Carlson

Jeff Carlson, Andrew, Greg Carlson, and John Dickson

Andrew, Jeff Carlson, John Dickson, and Greg Carlson

John Dickson, Andrew, Greg Carlson, and Jeff Carlson

Andrew, Jeff Carlson, John Dickson, and Greg Carlson

Greg Carlson, Andrew, John Dickson, and Jeff Carlson

Andrew, Jeff Carlson, John Dickson, and Greg Carlson, with our john boat and canoe in the background

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