Peggy Locke Newman, 68, Gave Time And Money To Many Charities

Peggy Locke Newman was long supportive of charitable and philanthropic causes. But in a very understated way.

Mrs. Newman, a member of the founding Fisher Flouring Mills family here, would contribute anonymously to different charitable organizations in the Seattle community.

"She preferred her support not be known. She knew she did it, and that's what was important," said her only daughter, Robin E. Campbell of Redmond.

Her illness was not widely known, either. Mrs. Newman, 68, died Tuesday at her Seattle home after an extended illness. A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Bonney-Watson on Broadway.

Mrs. Newman was a director of Fisher Companies Inc.; vice president of Fisher Properties, a real-estate subsidiary of Fisher Companies; and a director of the Washington Energy Co., the parent company of Washington Natural Gas.

She was the daughter of the late Irene Fisher Locke and John Loor Locke, a president and general manager of the Fisher mills. Mrs. Newman's grandfather, the late Oliver David Fisher, was a founder and longtime president of Fisher Flouring Mills.

A lifelong Seattle resident, she attended St. Nicholas School here, Pine Manor Junior College in Massachusetts, and the University of Washington.

"She was quite interested in the whole cultural scene and she was a benefactor," said her first cousin, Donald Graham, chairman of Fisher Companies.

"She had a tremendously loyal group of friends because she was a very, very giving person," said Graham.

At her death, she was a trustee of the Seattle Repertory Theatre and a member of the Corporate Council for the Arts and Art Acquisition Committee of the Rainier Club.

"She'll be terribly missed by everyone who knew her. Her influence on people and institutions in this city were very, very real," said Peter Donnelly, president of Corporate Council for the Arts and former producing director of the Seattle Rep.

"She gave significant amounts of money very, very quietly," said Donelly, who was a friend of Mrs. Newman for two decades. "She gave to people and organizations that she believed in, and she did it with the agreement and understanding that it would remain private," he said, adding, "She was really quite a remarkable woman."

Mrs. Newman served on boards of Children's Hospital and the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center. She served as executive director of PONCHO during its early years, and she was a public-relations director of the King County Republican Central Committee. She was a member of the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority and an officer of the Lake Union Association.

She also served on the UW College of Arts and Sciences Development and Advisory Board, family members said.

Besides her daughter, she is survived by two grandchildren, Lida and David Campbell of Redmond.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center.