John J. Newman of Brookville, Indiana was born to John and Eunice Newman on July 12, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was born to eternal life on October 2, 2023. John was active in the Indiana Historical Society after his retirement from the Indiana Supreme Court as a Director of Information Management Services.
John held a master’s degree in American History from Indiana University. After teaching at the high school level for seven years, he joined the staff of the Indiana State Library in 1970. That fall he was appointed Indiana State Archivist, a position he held until transferring to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1986 where he served for 25 years. John was also a published author of “American Naturalization Records 1790-1990.”
Those surviving who will cherish the memory of John, affectionately known as “UJ” include his two brothers-in-law, Gordon Daniel, and Donald Smetana; his three nieces, Debra (Doug) Petrie, Donna (Paul) Roszak, and Jean (Mark) Schram; his great-nephews, Joseph Roszak, Lucas Roszak, Travis Schram, and Tyler Schram; all of Wisconsin; and his great-niece, Stephanie (Jon) Turner of Oklahoma. Besides his parents, John was preceded in death by his two sisters Dorothy Smetana and Margaret Daniel.
John enjoyed traveling, collecting antiques, reading, Civil War History, photography, and visiting his family in Wisconsin over the holidays. The ladies in the family always made sure to prepare extra mashed potatoes, (one of UJ’s favorites) for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
The family would like to thank the staff at Christ Hospital as well as the staff at Twin Towers of Cincinnati Hospice. Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 7th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., with a service to follow at the Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home, Brookville, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Indiana Historical Society would be appreciated. To sign the online guestbook or to leave a personal condolence, please visit www.cookrosenberger.com. The staff of Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home is honored to care for John’s family.