Max Claude Newland

He died May 31, 2018, preceded by his wife Sandra and his parents.

He is survived by his sister, Donna, his daughters, Patricia, Virginia and Elizabeth, and his grandchildren Jordan, Brandi, James, Taylor, Bailie and Alexa.

He graduated from Enid High School in 1953, and spent a couple of years in college before joining the Army in 1956. After his honorable discharge in 1960, he and Sandra married.

They moved to Del City, and Max began working as a contractor at Tinker AFB. In the mid-90's, he accepted a job in Japan, followed by stints in California, New York, and Virginia. He possessed a strong work ethic, and very rarely missed a day of work.

Tinkering with pretty much anything, from cars, to computers, to his home's natural gas air conditioning system, and studying technical manuals kept him occupied much of the time, with heavy involvement with the church, including serving as church bus driver, elder and deacon.

He and Sandra were quietly devoted to each other. Sitting at her side at the hospital for nearly a month while doctors determined that she had ulcerative colitis was one of the few times he missed work. After she developed dementia, he worked tirelessly to ensure her safety and comfort. Even in her dementia, she knew she wanted to be near him.

Monthly visits to both his and Sandra's parents were the norm. Both sets lived in the northeastern part of the state, so lunch with his parents, dinner with hers, then back home. He also enjoyed visiting his sister, though those visits were less frequent than he liked.

He taught his daughters and grandchildren they could be anything they set their minds to, and were willing to work for. And that he loved them no matter what.

He loved to drive, and he loved Corvairs. He was not impressed by Ralph Nader. He still owned a Greenbriar, one of the first American-made passenger vans, and one Corsa at the time he passed away. As his end neared, he regretted that his health prevented him from tinkering those back into parade shape.

He participated in Corvair rallies, and brought home some racing trophies. This interest prompted him to install and wear seat belts in his cars, so he could take corners faster! That saved his life TWICE in car accidents that would otherwise have killed him, in 1962 and again in 1982. Seat belts were the rule in the Newland household before they became the law of the land. He recovered from each accident, and bore the damages without complaint.

He liked to travel, and between his job and family visits, managed to visit Japan, Germany, Poland, Uganda, Jamaica, the United Arab Emirates and most of the United States. Family teased him because he managed to slip walking next to the Nile River and get his foot wet, so he was told he slipped into denial.

He liked music of most kinds, and played the cornet. He would usually sing in baritone or tenor, and often took the family to church-sponsored music events, both within the dome and the outdoor amphitheater.

He loved his church, and knew it from its boiler room to the bell towers. One grandmother and an aunt had also been members, and were active members when the current building was built in 1956. Once he retired, his involvement with the Church increased, as he volunteered to work with their IT systems, the video and sound systems for the sanctuary (the dome presents quite a challenge), Meals on Wheels, or anything else that needed to be done.

He is sorely missed.

Services will be Tuesday, June 5, at 11:30 am at First Christian Church, 3700 N Walker, Oklahoma City.

Tributes may be left by visiting www.HahnCookFuneral.com