Newton Clyde Brill, Jr. (1936-2023)

Photo courtesy of the Brill Family

A Legacy of Service and Community Dedication

Throughout his long and successful life, Newt Brill always displayed a rare passion for his hometown of West Plains. From proudly representing his community on the Zizzer football, basketball and track squads to defending her as a member of the U.S. Marines, his pride of place was on display for all to see.

Nowhere was his love of community more acute than when it came to the local hospital as both a crucial local resource and a source of civic pride. As such, the hospital played a key role in Brill’s life and he in its development from a small country hospital to a dynamic multi-county health system.  

For nearly 60 years, beginning in 1966, Brill worked on behalf of Ozarks Healthcare, known earlier as West Plains Memorial Hospital and Ozarks Medical Center. He served on its board of trustees, its board of directors and the OMC Foundation Board, later known as the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation. During this time, he had a hand in multiple major events in the hospital’s history from the expansion of its physical footprint to the growth of its medical services, clinics and technology. 

An attorney by trade, Brill was equally passionate about elder care and banking, and both thrived under his leadership. He served on multiple bank boards and was instrumental in the establishment of several senior communities and nursing homes providing needed services to older residents. His lifetime of service was heavily decorated with honors, but his greatest joy came as a devoted husband, patriarch and friend.

Brill died at home on Oct. 2, at the age of 87. The entire Ozarks Healthcare community extends heartfelt condolences to his wife, Carolyn, and his family on the loss of this great humanitarian. He will be missed but never forgotten; emulated but never equaled.