Memorable Manitobans: Eleanor Mae “Lee” Newton (1952-2014)

Graphic designer, community activist.

Born at Winnipeg on 1 July 1952, daughter of Bill and Mae Newton, she attended Lord Wolseley School, McLeod School, John Henderson Junior High School, and River East Collegiate. After a year of design training at the University of Manitoba, she worked for 30 years as a graphic designer, first with the advertising department of the Eaton’s Department Store and later with the Winnipeg Art Gallery. She then formed her own business Newton Coleman and Associates, publishing Interchange magazine and other publications for the Osborne Village area. In 1983, after hearing about a food bank in New York City, she established Winnipeg Harvest. It opened in July 1985 and she managed its volunteer program, held fundraising events, and organized publicity. In recognition for her role there, she received a YMCA/YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2005. She retired from the organization in 2010. She died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 8 February 2014 and was buried in the Victoria United Church Cemetery at Balmoral. She was inducted into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame (2017) and was selected as a Manitoba Woman Trailblazer.

Sources:

“Women of distinction,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 May 2005, page 17.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 2014, page B16.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 4 October 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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