Tammy Renee Newsom

Tammy will lie in state for visitation on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 from 5pm to 7pm in the Griggs Schooler Gordon Funeral Director’s Pioneer Chapel, 5400 Bell St in Amarillo. A celebration of Tammy’s life will be held on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 2pm in the Hillside Christian Church’s West Campus Auditorium, 6100 Soncy Rd in Amarillo with Pastor Shawn Freeby presiding. Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery. A livestream of the service will be available at www.facebook.com/griggsschoolergordon, or by clicking "Join Livestream" below.

Tammy Renee Newsom was born December 14, 1975 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. She graduated from Tucumcari High School in 1994 and received her Bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University.

In her professional life, Tammy worked for AISD for 18 years. She taught at AACAL where she loved her students and co-workers. After her time in the classroom, she spent several years as a digital learning leader and truly enjoyed her job. Her friends and family also enjoyed hearing all the tricks she taught them to hack into their children’s social media.

Tammy unselfishly gave hundreds of hours to the community while being a dedicated member of the Junior League of Amarillo. Not only did she make an impact for the community, she gained many friends and left a lasting impression with anyone that crossed paths with her. Her kind smile and positive energy could draw anyone from across the room.

Tammy was adored by all of her family and friends. She was a fierce friend with a servant’s heart and the circle of people that loved her never stopped growing. She was the person you wanted to sit next to, the one that would bring all the laughs, and the one to always find the silver lining. Tammy never sought the spotlight but the spotlight was always drawn to her.

Her legacy is carried on by her husband, Joey Newsom; her son, Chase Newsom; and her daughter, Dru Newsom; and her beloved mother Helen Ward. She loved watching her kids do absolutely anything. You could see her eyes light up when her son, Chase, would walk into the room and she would wrap her arms around him while he towered over her as she lovingly called him her “Chasie Poo” or “Little Bambino”. Tammy also loved cuddling on the couch with Dru while watching old movies from her own adolescence like Breakfast Club and 16 Candles. Of course they couldn’t leave out binge watching Riverdale, too. Tammy and Joey’s love for one another was the kind of love that radiated any time you were around them. Instantly you could feel the dynamics between them and see that they were not only husband and wife but also each other’s best friend. Joey loved Tammy relentlessly and it showed every day…even since the beginning of their journey in life together when she asked him to include her cats in their engagement pictures and he couldn’t possibly disappoint his bride.

Tammy loved to dance and could put any one of us to shame with her moves. She showed us how to live in the moment and cherish every second of it. She loved to travel with family and adding countless memories on every trip. Tammy and her sisters-in-law would crack themselves up along with everyone else in the family by planning silly Christmas pajamas for all the cousins each year. The pink bunny costume from The Christmas Story had to be one of their favorites.

Tammy was proceeded in death by brother, Rodney Curtis Ward, January 21, 2021; niece, Karen Amay Ward, May 12, 2013; grandmother, Hazel Viola Ward, September 6, 2007; grandfather, Joe C. Ward, May 7, 2005.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations toward Chase and Dru’s college fund in a benefit account set up through Amarillo National Bank.