Few people are as tireless in their devotion to philanthropy as Max and Shirley Newman were. The Granada Hills, Calif., residents gave their all to raise funds for City of Hope.  And the Newmans had the foresight to cement their legacy at City of Hope with a bequest of more than $600,000.

Max and Shirley Newman

“Max and Shirley did absolutely everything for City of Hope,” said longtime friend Don Hoffman, a member of City of Hope’s Board of Governors and trustee for Shirley Newman’s estate. “They really went above and beyond.”

Shirley Newman’s involvement with City of Hope spanned more than 50 years. President of the Imperial Chapter in the late ’60s, the former bookkeeper earned numerous recognitions for volunteerism, including The Spirit of Life® Award. After her adult son, David Saul Heck, died in a mid-1980s car accident, she founded a chapter named in his honor.

In 1989, she married Max Newman, immediately recruiting him to her two passions in life: square dancing and raising money for City of Hope. Described by friends as down-to-earth and funny, she ran a charity square dance for the David Saul Heck Chapter that raised more than $200,000 in its 17-year history.

“The square-dance benefit was truly Shirley’s love,” Hoffman said. “When she raised money for City of Hope in her son’s name, she had the best of all reasons.”

Max Newman died in 2004. Nearly three years later, Shirley Newman died at the age of 79 and was buried with photos of her husband and son. Several pins adorned her dress, commemorating her service to City of Hope.

In tribute to their generosity, the corner café in the Geri & Richard Brawerman Ambulatory Care Center has been dedicated in the honor of Max and Shirley Newman and acknowledges the David Saul Heck Chapter.