Mary Louise Newland, 88 years old of Queen City, MO, passed away Thursday, June 26, 2025 with her oldest daughter by her side at Boone Hospital in Columbia, MO, after a brief illness.

Mary Louise Shelley Newland was born on a record-breaking hot Sunday, July 19, 1936, at her parent's home in rural Scotland County, Missouri.  She was the oldest child and had many attributes that a first has. She could manage and boss with the best of them.  Her siblings who followed were Billie, Bobby, and Nancy.

Louise, not Mary, as she would clearly make known, went to school at Robinson Country School and then moved on to high school at Memphis High School in Memphis, MO, graduating with the class of 1954.

While in high school, she met a very special guy, who would end up being the most important man in her life.  David Newland, who was a year ahead of her in school, and she began dating during her junior year. They were such a cute couple and obviously a bit popular, as they were crowned the Barnwarming King and Queen.  On September 19, 1954, shortly after graduating from high school, Louise married that special guy at Richland Baptist Church, in rural Scotland County.

In October of 1955, the first baby, Mike, was born.  She must have had a plan from early on because in her yearbook, she and another classmate were prophesied to compete to see who could have 24 children first.  We don't know if she won, but 7 kids was a pretty impressive attempt.  She and David's children were the joy of their lives, even though with seven, every day wasn't full of joy.  They ended up raising 4 boys and 3 girls who are pretty impressive, you just need to ask them.

Louise stayed at home and had babies and helped David on the dairy farm until her youngest, Kirk, was ready to go to school.  She then worked at National Garment, which was not one of the joys of her life.  She kept going though, and worked there off and on until that youngest was about 10.  At that time, she bought what she named TNT Snack Shop (named after Tracy & Terri) in Downing to supplement income and give her kids a place to work and make some money.  TNT was open until its sale in the early 1990s.  After that adventure was complete, she worked at Davis County Hospital in the dietary department until her retirement.

She lost her husband to pancreatic cancer in October of 2005.  After David's death, she prided herself on being able to take care of herself, which she did well. After she moved off the farm, she lived in Memphis, Queen City (her favorite stop) and Downing.  She was willing to live her last few years in her not so favorite place so she could be near some of her children, because she knew she would need their help and wanted to make it easier on them.

She was a member of the Downing Christian Church and attended services there as long as her health allowed.

Louise had a stroke in 2019.  This slowed her down, but didn't stop her.  But as time went on she became less sure on her feet and eventually had to go to live in the Schuyler County Nursing Home.  That would not have been her preference, but she would often say, she knew that is where she belonged at this point in her life.

Louise loved being social.  She was a Red Hatter for some time with many of her dearest friends. She played bingo, cards, Mexican train dominoes and, of course, Canasta, and enjoyed hosting friends at her place, so they could all get together and enjoy each other's company.  She was a very talented seamstress.  Many of her great and great, great grandchildren received a quilt she had embroidered and pieced together with love. She didn't have her mother's or sister's knack for cooking, but she could make a lemon pie that her son-in-law eagerly looked forward to eating when he visited and she almost always made sure there was one there for him.

She will be greatly missed by her surviving sister, Nancy Girardin and Tom Reibel, of Memphis, MO; her children, Jan Newland Littlefield of Clifton, TX; Rodney (Tammy) Newland, of Downing, MO; Doug (Barb Wheeler) Newland of Columbia, MO; Tracy (Vernon) Carroll of Downing, MO; Terri (Jim) Bruner of Downing, MO; Melissa (David) Kinney of Kirksville, MO and Kirk (Tiffany) Newland of Queen City, MO.  She is also survived by nine grandsons, Jarod Newland of Fort Worth, TX ; Jeremiah Newland, of Downing, MO; Chris Newland of Columbia, MO; Kyle (Emily) Newland of Ashland, MO; Noah Newland of Queen City, MO, Todd (Amy) Carroll of Rogersville, MO; Clayton (Sally) Carroll of Rolla, MO; Alex (Haley) Bruner of Kansas City, MO, and Drew (Taylor) Bruner of Mound City, MO; five granddaughters, Heather Newland of Memphis, MO; Mallory (Christopher) Oliver of Lancaster, MO; Haylee (Dakotta) Snyder of Green Castle, MO; Callyn Kinney, of Kirksville, MO, and Naomi Newland of Queen City, MO; 9 great-granddaughters, Madison Newland of Downing, MO; Paige (Tad) Mallett of Memphis, MO; Emma Carroll of Rogersville, MO;  Mackenzie Carroll, of Rolla, MO; Aubrey Carroll, of Rolla, MO;  Collyns Newland of Ashland, MO; MaKinley Oliver of Lancaster, MO; Olivia Oliver, of Lancaster, MO, and Emma Bruner of Kansas City, MO.  She also had ten great grandsons, Caleb (McKenzie) Carroll of Lebanon, MO; Packy Carroll of Rogersville, MO; Charlie Carroll, of Rogersville, MO; Landon White of Queen City, MO; Davin Anders of Memphis, MO; Cooper Newland of Ashland, MO; Cohen Newland of Ashland, MO; Drake Bruner of Mound City, MO; Hudson Snyder of Green Castle, MO, and Tate Bruner of Mound City, MO. Great-great granddaughters include Hadley Newland of Downing, MO and Ivy Mallett, of Memphis, MO. Great, great grandsons include Henry Head of Kirksville, MO and Greyson Carroll of Lebanon, MO. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Marilyn Blessing of Downing, MO; Mary Newland of Oskaloosa, IA, and Lois Shelley of Memphis, MO, and brother-in-law John Newland of Oskaloosa, IA.

Louise was preceded in death by her beloved husband, David Newland of Downing, MO;  parents William J. and Mary Shelley of Memphis, MO, her parents in law, Lowell and Dorothy Newland of Downing, MO; her two brothers, Billie Shelley and Bobby Shelley both of Memphis, MO; sisters-in-law, Virginia Osier of Oak Park, IL, Joanna Shelley of Memphis, MO; brothers-in-law, Junior Blessing of Downing, MO and George Osier of Oak Park, IL;  her oldest son, Michael Newland of Wheeler, TX, and her granddaughter, Kimberly Newland of Plains, TX.

She and David have left quite a legacy and just as David has been greatly missed, Louise will also be missed dearly, although we do have a myriad of wonderful memories to get us through.  One of the greatest things though, is that her entire family is so happy to know that David and she are reunited in heaven.