Katharine ‘Katie’ Kingsford

She was born on July 2, 1929, the daughter of Edward and Winifred (Straub) Kingsford of Iron Mountain. Grandparents were E.G. and Minnie (Flaherty) Kingsford of whom Henry Ford insisted the town be named after.

She was married to William (Bill) Newton in 1951 and had five children: Jody Newton (Gray Holmes), Julia Newton (John Englund), Hugh Newton (Alisha Johansson), William (Pat) Newton (Wendy Gibson) and Jennifer Newton.

She was preceded in death by an infant brother, Jordan; her husband in 1977; and recently her son, Hugh. She was also preceded in death by special friend, Gerald Hollingworth in 2012. Grandchildren include: Daniel Englund, Jordan Holmes (Marine Bohly), Anna Englund (Emily Gear), Nita Englund and Lucas Holmes (Matt Connor).

Katie leaves many other dear friends including, Linda, Ashley, Don, Sharon and Ari, Jim, Joan, Mike and Meg, Dave and Beth, Grace and Dave …

Katie was strong-willed and rebellious as a young adult and earned her undergraduate degrees at Bennington College. Katie had a love of horses and when she and Bill purchased the former Eagle Lake Dairy in Spread Eagle, Wis. they quickly stocked it with many equines and started a tradition that continues to this day.

Those years were marked by barn dances, cocktail parties, bridge games, book clubs, boat and ski trips featuring all her children, cousins, friends and neighbors.

The sunshine came in when Katie and Bill made a trip with good friends, Martha and Don Vreeland to see a production of the musical “Hair.” Her children wore that vinyl out.

Katie’s middle life consisted of pursuing a graduate degree at NMU and then traveling in a Ford Pinto! with her daughter Jenny to Mexico to teach Journalism and College Prep. Escaping Monterrey and an attempted kidnapping, she eventually arrived in Steamboat Springs, Colo. in 1974 where she would live the rest of her life.

In Steamboat she was able to pursue her passion of downhill skiing until she was 89. As a ski instructor and a member of The Over the Hill Gang at Mount Werner, she met many life-long friends and introduced many to the sport.

Katie was also a Master Gardener and established the gardens at Selbe Apartments where she lived until recently. She also had a great vegetable and strawberry garden at The Barn with Gerry and helped establish and maintain the gardens at her children’s homes.

Katie was a lifelong voracious reader and kept current on the latest in medical information with her progeny receiving frequent clippings, books and notes on her research.

A summer 2025 service is planned at The Farm for her and son Hugh. She insists you read some of Gavin Menzies’ books including “The Lost Empire of Atlantis.” You can also pull a weed in her memory.