Jimmy Dwayne Newman

Our father, Jimmy Dwayne Newman (no, it wasn't even James on his birth certificate), passed away 3 days before his 78th birthday, peacefully, surrounded by 3 grown kids who never moved out, but instead took care of him, and their 3 significant others who heroically signed up for the same commitment, as well as his 18-month-old granddaughter and 3 dogs. He waited until everyone was home, together, and then he just peacefully went to sleep.

All he ever wanted was to be at home, surrounded by family. So this last year and a half of his life was just about his most perfect fantasy. He was a pretty simple man who managed to create some pretty complicated relationships. Primarily, above all else, he loved being a father. He loved kids, and felt his only job ever was to love us, leaving the disciplining to both his first wife, Linda, and his second, Jennifer. He was the dad every one of Kristin’s friends said they wished was theirs. He was a juvenile probation officer, but Kristin didn't know that was basically a cop until she was in her 20s because he always told her he was sort of a father figure for kids who had been given terrible childhoods. He turned down promotions so he could stay in the field, with the kids.

The year Kristin went away to college, he and Jenny started making more kids -- 3 more – Caitlin, Jimmy and Kara -- who joined the family along with his stepdaughter, Teppy, who he raised as his own as well. He taught us how to be funny and warm, how to swim and bodysurf and camp, how to hop across river rocks and play in the dirt and cuddle on the couch. He taught us how to wash a car and change a tire and drive stick. He sat through 1 million hours of little girls dancing, and gave 1 million foot rubs to his kids in exchange for 1 million head rubs. He preached "balance" in all things -- not too much work, not too much rest.

He was a Naval Officer, stationed in Pensacola, Florida, and Newport, Rhode Island, and Naples, Italy, and started training to be a pilot, but went back to college when it became clear that being a Naval pilot would mean flying helicopters in the Vietnam war. He loved playing the guitar, and passed many nights playing with his brother, Randy, on keyboard, his sister Pam singing and playing another guitar, his sisters Terrie and Vicki and kids and cousins and his dear parents, Chet and Robbie, singing along as well. He loved Yosemite, and took all of his kids there many times, and Hawaii, especially Maui. He loved listening to music – Willie Nelson, Gordon Lightfoot, Emilou Harris, Dave Matthews. He loved watching MASH and All in the Family, Steve Martin and Riverdance and National Geographic and Camelot. Dementia and Parkinson's and alcohol took a lot of him from us several years ago, so losing him has been a gradual process, and it was the right time for him to leave the body that truly did him right given how poorly it was often treated. But he was very beautiful and strong for a very long time. And died with a full head of hair. He left, we think, his best, in all of us, and for that we are very grateful.

Thank you for loving our dad,

Kristin, Teppy, Caitlin, Jimmy and Kara