Essie Elizabeth Harris Newsom

Star - Essie Elizabeth Harris Newsom, 94, of 249 South Main Street, died Thursday, October 20, 2011, at FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital. Funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM, Sunday, October 23, 2011, at Phillips Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Kay Boone officiating and a eulogy by Rosemary Huntley. Interment will be in Leach Cemetery. Mrs. Newsom was born in Davidson County to George Turner Harris and Sarah Loftin Harris. In 1936, she married Lark A. Newsom, Jr., who preceded her in death, and they moved to Star in 1939. After working in local hosiery mills, they owned and operated Newsom Hosiery Mill, Inc for 46 years. Essie was a charter member of the Halcyon Woman's Club for 72 years and was the oldest member of the GFWC-NC. In 1979 she was voted "Club Woman of the Year" and given a lifetime membership in the GFWC-NC by the Halcyon Woman's Club and in 2010 "Club Woman of the Century". She wrote a Teacher's Day prayer that was adopted as a national prayer in GFWC. She has always given freely of her time and talents to many civic projects through the years and co-founded the Star History Museum in 2003. Surviving are her son, Joe Newsom, of Star; 6 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren, and several great-great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM at Phillips Funeral Home, 216 South Main Street, Star. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Halcyon Woman's Club, c/o Charlotte Epps, PO Box 219, Star, NC 27356.