Ned Newman

Ned Newman, age 84, longtime resident of Lake Kiowa and Whitesboro, passed away March 30, 2023 in Denton.

Born into a military family, Ned and his brothers had a nomadic life and his family took advantage of the opportunities to travel that it presented.  His early years were spent in Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, France, and Germany, as the Army moved his father’s assignments.  The last move was to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio where Ned enrolled at Trinity University.

While at Trinity, he was in ROTC and a member of the Pershing Rifles Drill Team.  He had learned to play the violin, viola, and bass drum in middle and high school, then learned the French horn and continued with the viola at University.  He enrolled in a German class, not realizing the language he had learned in Germany was Schwabish and not Hoch Deutsch.  Linda Bohls was in this class as well as some of his other classes, they were both classified as advanced freshmen and sat together since most of their classmates were sophomores.  Ned graduated with a degree in Mathematics and he and Linda were married in 1961 at the First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, TX.

It was in San Antonio that he discovered his love of sailing.  He received a small wooden sailboat from a neighbor and taught himself how to sail on Medina Lake.  When taking Linda for her fist sail on the lake, the small boat was swamped and began to come apart.  That night the boat was used as a bonfire on the beach and he, his dad, and his brothers began to build a new boat from scratch.

Ned began his own military career at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, commissioned in the Army Artillery.  He was assigned to the 25th Target Acquisition Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany.  After 4 years in and around Germany, he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam.  Ned served two tours in Vietnam.  Here he received many honors including the Bronze Star Medal (5th OLC.), the Meritorious Service Medal and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

After Vietnam Ned was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and later at Fort Bragg, NC.  He separated from the Army in 1974 and the family settled in Gainesville, TX.  As manager and co-owner of Bohls Furniture and Appliances he was very active in the community.  He was a troop leader for the Boy Scouts of America and Explorers, spending several summers in Philmont Scout Ranch.  He was an active leader in the Gainesville Kiwanis Club.  He served many years as flotilla commander of the Lake Texoma Coast Guard Auxiliary, including decades of providing “Boat Safety Talks” on KGAF radio in Gainesville.  Ned was active in Volunteers In Service To Others (VISTO) and was an elder at First Presbyterian Church.  He also sang bass in the church choir and Cooke County Chorale for many years.

Many evenings he could be found at the Gainesville Boys Club playing Racquetball.  Sunday afternoons were reserved for sailing on Lake Texoma with his family and friends.  He was also a model train enthusiast. Finishing an entire room in his home to continually design, build, and redesign his model railroad, with HO gauge train cars and engines he had collected during his time in Germany.

After the passing of his first wife Linda, Ned married Tommie Kirksmith in 2006 at the First Presbyterian Church.  He became involved in the Red River SPCA, supporting her in the care, rescue, and rehabilitation of 1000’s of animals in the North Texas area.

Survivors include: wife Tommie Newman of Corpus Christi; daughter Jennifer Pitts (Donald) of Plano; son Greg Newman (Connie) of Keller; grandchildren Jacob Newman (Deb) of Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia, Rebecca Credicott (Nick) of Fort Worth, and Zoe Pitts of Austin; great-grandchildren Grace and Chloe Newman; twin brother Neil Newman (Carole) of Denton; and brother Hash Newman of Baltimore, MD.

Mr. Newman was preceded in death by: parents Harold Hulbirt and Elizabeth Caroline (Cooper) Newman; and wife Linda Bohls Newman.

A memorial service for Ned Newman will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, TX on July 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.  Memorial contributions may be made to VISTO or First Presbyterian Church of Gainesville.

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