Robert Ellison Newell, of Foxworth, Mississippi, passed from this life into the presence of the Lord on Monday, May 10, 2021 at the age of 61. He was born in Mobile, Alabama and has been a lifelong resident of Marion County. Robert worked in the oil field for many years and retired after 23 years with Trans Ocean. He also worked several years with YAK MAT before his cancer diagnosis. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing. Robert was a mentor and role model for his children and grandchildren. He adored his wife and spoiled her any way that he could. He was a humble, compassionate and giving man who was known for his generous heart and many caring, selfless acts of kindness for others. Robert will also be remembered for the courageous fighter he was during his cancer treatment while never complaining about his circumstances. He defied all odds and was even called super human by his physicians. He was a true inspiration to his family as they watched him walk through some of the most difficult things in life with complete determination and grace and never giving up. He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Newell; his mother, Troy Griffith; and a son, Robert Wayne McKenzie. Robert is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Carolyn McKenzie Newell; two daughters, Susan McKenzie Hanley and her husband, Bobby, and Tammy McKenzie McNabb and her husband, Joe; a brother, Thomas Earl Newell; eight grandchildren, Jordan McKenzie, Breanna McKenzie, Bobby Hanley, Jr., Pierce Hanley, Chandler McNabb, Trace McNabb, Cooper McNabb, and Jake Reed McNabb; and three great-grandchildren, Brooklynn McKenzie, Judson McKenzie, and Paisley McKenzie. There will be a visitation for Robert on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 9:00am until 11:00am at Colonial Funeral Home. The funeral service will be at 11:00am in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow in the Old Silver Creek Baptist Church Cemetery assisted by Bobby Hanley, Bobby Hanley, Jr., Pierce Hanley, Joe McNabb, Chandler McNabb, Trace McNabb, and Jordan McKenzie serving as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made in Robert’s honor to the Columbia Chapter of The Compassionate Friends at: 92 Quail Run Lane, Columbia, MS 39429.
