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Carolina Forest... Madeline Frances Newman, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away on May 9, 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was a woman of extraordinary strength, fierce love, and unshakable loyalty. Her devotion to her family shaped every aspect of her life. Born into a vibrant Italian and Albanian family, she grew up in Brooklyn and later on Long Island, surrounded by siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. After the heartbreaking loss of her mother at the age of 12, she watched over her younger siblings—an early expression of the protectiveness and compassion that would define her. A bright student, she graduated high school at just sixteen years old from Lawrence High School. She endured the death of her first husband, Harold Eisert, in the Vietnam War, and later found lifelong partnership in her marriage to Lawrence Jay Newman, her devoted husband of over 51 years. Together, she and Lawrence raised their two daughters in Oceanside, New York, in a lively home filled with extended family, food, and laughter. She was a natural matriarch, sharing hosting duties for holidays, birthdays, and parties. Sometimes she danced in the kitchen while she cooked, playing her favorite music a little too loudly. No one ever left her home hungry, or without hearing exactly what she thought. The family moved to South Carolina three decades ago. With her husband, children, sisters, brothers-in-law, and her nephew, they created smaller, but still lively, versions of the family gatherings she loved, always centered around food. She was more than a wife, sister, mother or aunt—she was a confidante and best friend to many who turned to her for advice, encouragement, and, sometimes, a firm nudge in the right direction. She never wavered in her defense of her loved ones—if she was in your corner, you knew it. A survivor of two kinds of cancer, she enjoyed remission for nearly eight years. When the illness returned, she fought with everything she had, driven by her love for her family. Her courage remained steadfast. Madeline is survived by her beloved husband, Lawrence Jay Newman; daughters, Holly Sinkway (James), Lia Newman (Chris Gannon); sisters, Carmel Toriello (Louie), Jacqueline Kwasny (Stan); sisters-in-law, Marie DiDonna and Shelly Newman. She also leaves behind many cherished nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Vincent DiDonna and Lillian Raimondi DiDonna, and her brother Dominic DiDonna (Marie). A service in her honor will be held at Real Life Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on May 31 at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Wounded Warriors, two organizations close to her heart. Goldfinch Funeral Home, Carolina Forest Chapel, is assisting the family.

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Madeline F. Newman

October 16, 1944 - May 9, 2025