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Jane Ward Newhall, Ph.D., 68, a noted child psychologist and most recently Director of Psychotherapy Services at the Child Study Institute, Bryn Mawr College, died on Tuesday, April 22, at Bryn Mawr Hospital, of ovarian cancer. Her husband of 46 years, John H. Newhall, said that Mrs. Newhall bravely battled the disease for three years after it was initially diagnosed at an advanced stage. Mrs. Newhall grew up in South Orange, NJ, and graduated from Bryn Mawr College. She met her future husband at a college mixer during her Junior year and they were married that summer. He had just returned to the area after ten years away at college, the Navy and Harvard Business School. Her first career was managing their household as they raised three children while moving to four different locations: Weston, CT; Fox Chapel, PA; and Brussels, Belgium; before returning thirteen years later to John’s childhood home in Penn Valley. They made many good friendships along the way, often while playing tennis, one of Mrs. Newhall’s favorite pastimes. Mrs. Newhall began pursuing her psychology career in mid-life by obtaining a Masters in Education and Child Development and a Ph.D. in Human Development, both from Bryn Mawr College, and then by re-specializing in clinical psychology at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology while she and her husband were living in Palo Alto, CA, for three years. After returning to their Penn Valley home, Mrs. Newhall worked at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center for five years, during which time she also served as an associate faculty member of the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, before joining the Child Study Institute, twelve years ago. She served on the board of the Crossroads School from 2004-2007 and was a member of the Orton Dyslexia Society. Her career was remarkable for many reasons, most notably it was marked by deep wisdom and compassion for the families and individuals in her care. These sagacious traits magnetized many, including close friends, to seek her quiet counsel. Mrs. Newhall enjoyed time spent with family and friends by the ocean at her summer home in Seal Harbor, ME, and at her winter home in Siesta Key, FL; and on ski trips in North America and Europe. Mrs. Newhall was a devoted grandmother to her growing number of grandchildren, including teaching several of them to swim, another of her favored activities. She was a member of the Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, the Merion Cricket Club and the Gulph Mills Golf Club. She was also a long-standing member of the Tea Group and the Tea Leaves, two groups of women friends she particularly enjoyed. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Newhall is survived by her mother, Dorothy W. Gordon; her brother, John L. Ward; her daughter Carol N. Neilson; her sons Thomas B. Newhall and Daniel W. Newhall; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. April 26 at the Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr. Donations may be made to the Child Study Institute, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

Tributes

Jane W. Newhall, Ph.D.

February 16, 1940 - April 22, 2008