Paul Edward Newkirk

Paul Edward Newkirk was born on June 17, 1944, to George and Helen Newkirk in Akron, Ohio. He spent his growing up years in the Akron-Cuyahoga Falls area. When he was in his teens, he spent more time at his Aunt Jean and his Uncle Paul house, after his mother remarried. Paul started working in his uncle’s shop, painting and repairing cars. Paul also towed cars for his uncle before he had his license. The local police knew to look the other way when Paul had the tow truck out. His uncle also gave him his first car, a fixer upper and the manual for the car. Paul put it together and was able to race it and modify it throughout his teen years. Cars weren’t Paul’s only interests when he was young. He loved music and was only 6 when he did his first solo onstage of “Blueberry Hill”. As a teen, he learned to play the guitar at his uncle's urgings, so his uncle could play lead for the square dances. Paul learned rhythm guitar and more. He sat in on many jam sessions, with famous musicians and may even be playing on the CD of your favorite country singer Willie Nelson or other musicians during the 60s/70s. He had his own group in the 60’s with two other women, “The Voices Three”. Due to an accident, the opening group were unable to perform, so Paul and the “girls” opened for Peter, Paul and Mary while he was in Hawaii. He also opened for Hank Williams when weather prevented Hank’s opening group from performing. He continued singing and playing his guitar for church services, first in Sierra Vista, AZ, for both of he Baptist Churches and at Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church. Locally, he has sung and played at Zion Lutheran Church, with the Cascade Singers, he has also entertained at Serious Theatre plays and for the wonderful nurses at both Celilo Cancer Center and MCMC. He always made up a song to sing as he happily left after a stay at the hospital. But, music was just a side note for Paul. He made his money after graduation by joining the Army. ( On a side note, that decision upset many family members, because they had been Navy men since the days of John Paul Jones. As a teen, Paul had joined the Army Reserves for extra money and when he graduated from high school they offered him tank driver training. Since he didn’t see many tanks being driven on the streets of Akron, he said, “No thanks.” and then started looking at which service would offer him training he could use in the real world. The Army guaranteed him schooling for communications and he joined. Paul liked to boast that the Army sent him around the world two and a half times over his career. He had been to Japan, Hawaii, New Jersey, Ohio, Germany, South Carolina, Spain, Viet Nam, Korea and ended his career at Fort Huachuca, AZ, exactly 40 years before his death. He left the Army on a happy note. He retired after 22 years of service, with the last two years of being a singer and percussionist with the 62nd Army Band at Fort Huachuca, AZ. He claims if he had known about the Army school of Music, when he first enlisted, he would have applied for it. Paul’s final years here in the Dalles consisted of playing pinochle with “the girls”, singing and playing his guitar at Zion Lutheran church, and serenading his wife most evenings with music from the 50s and 60s. Paul joined the heavenly choir on June 30, 2023, where he still plays his guitar and sings in harmony with the angels. A Celebration of Paul’s life will be on Saturday, September 30th, 2023 at 2 pm. The location is Zion Lutheran Church, 101 W. 10th Street, The Dalles, OR. In lieu of flowers, send donations to Zion Lutheran Church for the music program. Ross Hollywood Chapel is in charge of arrangement and notes of condolences can be left at rosshollywoodfuneralchapel.com.