Mary “Meg” Newville
NORMAN - Mary Margaret “Meg” Newville, 64, passed away peacefully in the arms of her loving husband and sons on March 25, 2022. Up until her last moments, she kept them laughing and comforted with her sharp-witted sense of humor.
At the time of their goodbye, the presence of the
Holy Spirit was overwhelmingly evidenced. Just a few minutes earlier, Meg had proclaimed that she was ready to go home to live with her Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
Born March 14, 1958, in Oklahoma City, she grew up in Norman and graduated from Norman
High School in 1976 where she excelled in numerous activities, including cheerleading, Girls’ State, The National Honor Society, and the Masonic “Student of Today” Award.
Meg was a formidable athlete. She always placed at the top of her age group of the Sooner Swim Club, and at the young age of 12, she even began training with the University of Oklahoma swim team. She carried on with her athletic pursuits later in life, going on walks every morning with her cherished walking buddies.
Meg was one of the most active and highly regarded women at OU. In 1976-77, she was recognized as one of the Top 10 Freshmen Women. The following year, Meg received the Crimson Crest award, which honored the Top 10 Sophomore Outstanding Women. Additionally, she was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, a member of the student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and a member of the Distinguished Scholars Program.
It was during this time that Meg’s lifetime of health struggles began, but despite these, she never once complained. With her unflappable positivity and constant care for others, you would have never known that she had to take frequent trips to Houston to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
On April Fools’ Day, 1981, during her senior year at the OU School of Petroleum Engineering, she began her relationship with the love of her life, Tim Newville. They soon thereafter married on September 24, 1982, enjoying nearly 40 years of marriage filled with fun and adventure.
During college, Meg launched what would become a fruitful career at Harold’s Men’s and Women’s Apparel store on Campus Corner. Meg’s gift for merchandising and leadership quickly propelled her to become manager of the store. She thrived off helping her customers find their style and made countless life-long friendships in the process.
A particularly joy-filled period of Meg’s life began on March 5, 1992, when she gave birth to her first son, Andersen Brady. And the joy continued two years later when on March 12, 1994, she brought her second son, Samuel Wade, into the world. She immediately dedicated herself to motherhood by immersing herself in all of her sons’ diverse activities and interests. Some of her fondest memories were with Brady’s Edmond Santa Fe High School Baseball Booster Club and Wade’s Heritage Hall Performing Arts Encore Club. Meg’s devotion to her sons’ lives knew no bounds – she cooked, sewed, traveled, hosted, and cheered them on. She did not miss even one of Brady’s games or of Wade’s performances, which she documented in stacks upon stacks of photo albums.
Later in life Meg served as the President of the Sooner Theatre Board of Directors. She worked tirelessly to ensure that all children had an opportunity to flourish, and to this end, she helped launch the Sooner Theatre’s children’s educational programs.
A devoted Christian who truly loved the Lord, Meg attended many bible studies over the years and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Norman, the First Baptist Church of Norman, and Quail Springs Baptist Church.
She was a shining example of courage, resilience, compassion, creativity, intelligence, gumption, optimism, and unconditional love. She gave grace to all, especially as a loving wife, mommy, and friend.
She is preceded in death by her father, James Melton Niemeyer and her mother, Margaret Ann Niemeyer. She is survived by her husband, Tim Kirk Newville of Norman, her sons, Brady of Norman and Wade of Paris, France, her stepmother, Patty Niemeyer of Texas, her brother, Jeff Niemeyer and his wife, Shawn, of Colorado, her nephews, Grayson and Shay, her half-brother, Jim Niemeyer Jr. and his wife, Jennifer, of Texas, her nephew, Reid, her niece, Kaitlyn, her half-sister, Lou Knowles and her husband, Tiho, of Texas, and her nephews, Harrison and Preston.
Funeral services for Meg will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 555 S University Blvd, Norman, OK 73069 at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 31. Interment will immediately follow the service at the IOOF cemetery, 1913 N Porter Ave, Norman, OK 73071. Meg had a love for bright colors, and in true Meg fashion, she wished for everyone to wear their cheeriest colors to the service.
In lieu of flowers, Meg has requested that contributions be made to the Meg Newville Memorial Scholarship at the Sooner Theatre. Contributions can be made by contacting the Sooner Theatre at (405) 321-9600, 101 East Main Street, Norman, OK 73069 or at the following link: https://soonertheatre.kindful.com/?campaign=1188039.