On Sunday, January 25,1942 a beautiful baby girl was born to Leroy and Alberta Thomas in Fort Gibson Oklahoma.

Josephine, better known as "Phine" by family and close friends, was the 7th child born to this union. At an early age, Phine and her family moved to Muskogee Oklahoma, where she attended Wheatly Elementary school and excelled as a student. She later graduated from Historic Manual Training High School in 1959. Phine had an extensive religious upbringing and was very active at Mt Calvary Baptist Church. With the help and training from her mother Alberta and her grandmother Sarah, Phine began playing piano for the church.

Phine continued her education and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1963 from Langston University. In 1973 she received her Master's in Special Education while attending Hofstra University in New York.

In 1962 she was courted by and then married the late Mclenion Newton and from this union they had 2 sons, Kevin and Todd. Phine started her extensive teaching career in 1965 at Otisville State training school for boys. While at Otisville she created and specialized a reading program for the class rooms. Between 1970 and 1977, Phine taught at Queens children's Psychiatric Center. She later moved to Cerritos California, where she became employed through Compton Unified School district and Inglewood Unified School district. Phine retired from her teaching career in 1990.

She decided to move back home to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she married the late Johnny Gross. She later met Anthony Fisher, who she continued her life with until his passing. Josephine became a great asset to the city of Muskogee by creating jobs, by starting a couple of businesses, 'Toddlers Daycare Center and Josie's 40 and Over Night Club. She would say "I take care of the babies during the day and the parents at night."

Josephine has always been the life of the party. Her personality was just radiant and seemed to draw everyone into her light.

On Saturday December 8th God decided it was time for her to receive her wings and come home. Those that preceeds her in death; her mother Alberta Wallace, her father Leroy Thomas Sr.; 2 sisters, Lillie Mae Clark, and Barbara Thomas Teague; 3 brothers Leroy Jr, Benjamín, and Robert Thomas.

Josephine leaves to cherish her memories; 2 sons, Kevin Newton of Los Angeles California and Todd Newton of Muskogee Oklahoma;  2 grandsons, Marcus and Lucus Newton; a brother, Frank Thomas S., of Muskogee Oklahoma; a sister, Doris McKnight, of Tulsa Oklahoma; an aunt, Lucille Holley, of Tulsa, Oklahoma; a special friend, Rose Stokes, of Eufaula Oklahoma, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousin, and friends. Josephine's light will continue to shine, and she will be missed! As she would say "We love you to the moon and back"!

A Service of Memory for Ms. Newton will be on Friday, December 21, 2018 at 11:00 AM in the First Freewill Baptist Church of Eufaula.  Reverend Dwight Porter, Pastor of Sulphur Springs Baptist Church will officiate.

Burial will be on Monday, December 24, 2018 at 10:00 AM in the Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.