James Guy Newbill (Jim) of Yakima passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at the age of 87. He was born in Yakima on September 30, 1931. He grew up in the shadow of the fruit crops that his father managed and that he himself exhaustively harvested. He attended Lower Naches and Parker Heights elementary schools and graduated from Wapato High School. He married Janice Mae Koenekamp of Zillah on September 17, 1951. He earned degrees at Yakima Junior College and two including a masters through the University of Washington.
Jim taught some 15,000 students over a period of 54 years. After teaching high school in the Yakima Valley (Highland and Prosser) he taught several decades at Yakima Valley Community College. He retired at the age of 67 in 1998. To this day one often runs into someone who fondly says “Oh yes, Mr. Newbill, he was my teacher” and always with a broad smile on their face. He was noted for his history lectures, including photographs taken on numerous trips to other countries. His scholarly achievements culminated in the collaborative efforts of co-editing two books and publishing several historical and scholarly papers with a particular emphasis on the labor movement in the Yakima Valley. He also assisted with the implementation of an exhibit in the Yakima Valley Museum dedicated to former Yakima resident, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas whose legacy Jim took a special interest in.
The crops that out of necessity occupied his youth yielded with greater satisfaction to those of the more “backyard” variety. Weeds constantly being plucked and hoses moved producing row after row of fruits and vegetables and a property lined with trees, shrubs and flowers. Their careful order only traversed by an occasional toy tractor left behind by a grandchild. His efforts and interests extended far beyond the neat row of pyramidals bordering his yard to those pyramids whose more substantial and unfathomable presence dominate the Egyptian skyline. Only the fluted marble columns of ancient Greece, the onion curved domes of Imperial Russia, and the iconic pyramidal spires of European cathedrals competed for his rapt attention. All and more were of interest to him. He continued the enthusiasm of the young man he once was, always exploring, always learning, always ready and eager to pass on a knowledge learned. Ever the teacher.
He is survived by his wife Janice of 67 years, his three daughters, Catherine Parker (Eric) , Barbara Parker (Fronty) and Mary Matney (Don), six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. His quiet unspoken faith resonated through and sustained our family and for that his memory will live on. He has returned to the embrace of the valley that sustained him and to the company of his family.
Private memorial services pending at the Zillah Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to the James G. Newbill Scholarship Fund in the Yakima Valley College Foundation scholarship program.
YVC Foundation/PO Box 22520/Yakima, WA 98907-2520, 509.574.4645, [email protected],
Stacey Kautz, Executive Director
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