Edna Rae (Newitt) Patterson (1908-1999); daughter of James Newitt (1869-1952) and Rachel Elizabeth Dodge (1887-1977)

High School Yearbook for Edna Newitt - Grand Junction High School 1927

 Edna Newitt ca. 1930

 1930 Grand Junction Directory

 1932 Tacoma Directory

Marriage record for Edna R. Newitt & Fracnis L. Criswell - January 26, 1933

1933 Tacoma Directory

1940 US Census

1945 Tacoma Directory

1947 Tacoma Directory

1954 Tacoma Directory

Marriage Record for Edna & Charles C. Patterson - 6 November 1954

1955 Tacoma Directory

Obituary for Charles C. Patterson (1907-1968)

Obituary for Edna (Newitt) Patterson

Death Certificate for Edna Rae (Newitt) Patterson

Gravestones for Charles & Edna (Newitt) Patterson. They are buried at New Tacoma Cemetery.

Even though I have already posted some information on Edna Newitt, I feel she deserves her own blog, partly because I have found more information on her than I expected to find. Edna was born November 20, 1908, in Buena Vista, Colorado, to James Newitt and Rachel Elizabeth Dodge. Edna was their only child who lived to adulthood. Edna had two step-siblings; Clarence Keith Newitt (1899-1974) and Berenice Elizabeth Newitt (1902-1982). Edna grew up in Colorado; first in Buena Vista and then in Grand Junction, where her family moved in 1921. 

Edna graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1927. After her graduation, Edna became a nurse, working at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. Edna was listed twice in the 1930 Census; first with her parents and second by herself. She moved with her parents to Tacoma, Washington in 1931. Edna continued working as a Nurse in Tacoma. She worked at the Pierce County Hospital, until she retired in the early 1960's. She married her first husband, Francis L. Criswell, January 26, 1933. After their marriage, they lived in Seattle for a few years before returning to Tacoma. In the 1940 Census,  Francis is working as a Building Contractor. They are both 31 years old;  Francis was born in Washington and Edna was born in Colorado. 

Francis & Edna divorced June 16, 1947. She accused  Francis of mental and emotional cruelty. He responded by accusing her of jealousy. Even though he responded to Edna's complaint, his cross-complaint was dismissed because he failed to appear in court. By this time,  Francis had left Washington and was living in California.  Francis had received a medical discharge from the Navy shortly before this time and had not returned to live in Tacoma. 

Edna eventually remarried. Her second husband was Charles C. Patterson. They were married 6 November 1954 in Tacoma. Charles was born in 1907 in Indiana and had moved to Tacoma in 1946. Shortly after their marriage, Edna began to care for her mother, Rachel, and would continue to do so until her death in 1977. Charles passed away in 1968.

Edna continued to live in Tacoma until her death in 1999. Edna passed away on September 17th of that year and is buried next to her second husband, Charles Patterson, in the New Tacoma Cemetery. Edna was survived by her two cousins. She did not have any children.