Newell “Bud” Edwin France, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away on March 21, 2012 after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Born on September 30, 1927 in Massillon, OH he was the second child of Lawrence and Ruth France. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree towards pre-med and Master Degree in Hospital Administration from Northwestern University in 1953 and 1955. He completed his military service as a naval hospital corpsman in 1952. Afterwards he married Eve Elisabeth Voluter in 1953 in Cologny, Switzerland and became a resident at Herrick Memorial Hospital in Berkeley CA. He began his career as the evening superintendent at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago and then moved to Houston, TX to initiate 28 years of leadership at St. Luke’s Episcopal and Texas Children’s Hospitals and the Texas Heart Institute. In 1983 he joined Tampa General Hospital as President; he retired in 1991. Newell was very active in furthering healthcare for children as well as adults. He was a founder of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, active in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, chaired the Greater Houston Hospital Council as well as many professional association executive councils and boards of directors.
To be close to their grandchildren, Newell and Eve moved to Dallas, TX in 1994. Throughout their over 58 year marriage they shared a passion for opera and traveled extensively to attend many performances. Newell loved gardening so much that he was in great demand for landscaping advice by both family and friends. Another interest that he manifested both professionally and personally was architecture; he designed the home in which the family lived for 23 years, was involved in national and international healthcare design, and was an associate professor in the School of Architecture at Rice University.
Newell was predeceased by his parents, his brother Lawrence, Jr. and his sister Jo Wilding. He is survived by his loving family- wife Eve; son Philip and his wife Elizabeth of Denton, TX; daughter Corinne of Dallas, TX; daughter Anne-Claire and husband Lawrence Edelblum of Houston, TX; son Stephen of Dallas, TX; daughter Louise Thorne and husband James of Houston, TX, and nine grandchildren as well as six great grandchildren. Newell will be remembered for his compassion, patience, and generosity to others as well as the significant contributions he made to the healthcare field; he will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 3:00 pm at Aria Funeral Home, 19310 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75252. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to any of the following organizations: Educational Foundation of the South East Texas Chapter, Dallas Opera (dallasopera.org), the American Lung Association or a charity of your choice.