Agnes K. Surber

Agnes Kain Surber, 89, of 24 West Street, Newport, RI, died Saturday, February 4, 2012 at John Clarke Health Care Center, Middletown, RI. She was the wife of the late Howard J. Surber Jr..Born in Newport, RI on February 6, 1922, she was the daughter of the late Quinton and Margaret Hug Kain.Agnes grew up in Newport and began a career as a telephone operator on the Navy Base. Here she met Howard who was stationed in Newport. They married and began their family, raising all the children in Newport. After the youngest was in school, she returned to work for the School Department working at the Lenthal School in the lunch program. Agnes enjoyed reading and crosswords, and was a longtime member of the Newport Elks with her husband.She is survived by her sons Michael J. Surber of Middletown, RI, Patrick H. Surber and his wife Judy of Middletown, RI and H. James Surber and his wife Mary of Portsmouth, RI, and her daughters Martha Dowda and her late husband John of Newport, RI, Pauline Schobert and her husband Arthur of Newport, RI, Jacquelyn Cavalier and her husband Jeff of Narragansett, RI and Janice Maguire and her husband Steven of Wakefield, RI. She also leaves 11 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, as well as her brother in law and sister in law, Gail and Anne Surber of Trumbull, CT.She was preceded in death by her sisters Elizabeth Craft and Margaret Lawrence.Calling hours will be held Tuesday, February 7 from 4:00-7:00pm in the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 8, at 8:00am from the Memorial Funeral Home, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:00am in St. Marys Church, Spring Street, Newport. Burial will follow in Newport Memorial Park in Middletown.Memorial donations may be made to Howard J. Surber Jr. Elks Scholarship Fund, c/o Newport Elks, 141 Pelham Street, Newport, RI 02840.