October 27, 1931 – February 23, 2021
GEORGETOWN – Newton Baker Whitehead, 89, Georgetown, TX passed away at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center, Round Rock on Feb. 23, 2021.
A graveside celebration of his life will take place later this spring in Bowie.
Newton was born Oct. 27, 1931 in Bowie to Joe Wheeler Whitehead and Lucy Ethel York Whitehead and attended Bowie schools graduating with the class of 1950. He was proud to be a lifelong Bowie High School Jackrabbit. After graduation, he worked briefly in the oilfield before beginning his lengthy career in telecommunications starting at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Wichita Falls.
In 1952 he married the love of his life, Ruth Henry in the parsonage of Gainesville Baptist Church and their daughter, Stacia was born in 1953. Over the next few years, he owned a small telephone company in Sunset and a service station in Bowie. Realizing that he was no businessman, Newton sold his station and went back into communications. He and Ruth bought a mobile home and moved from state to state as he contracted as a cable splicer on various projects in Louisiana, Cape Canaveral at the start of the space mission, Kentucky, Georgia, and finally spent a few months at Sondrestrom Air Base and Thule in Greenland.
Returning to the states in 1959 Newton moved his family to El Paso where he began his long Civil Service career working for the U.S. Department of the Army at Fort Bliss continuing in communications. The El Paso years were fun – the family was introduced to a whole new culture and cuisine, greyhound racing across the Rio Grande, many tent-camping trips and moving up to their first RV – a tiny camping trailer. During those years Newton conquered his fear of public speaking by completing the Dale Carnegie course. He also sang bass with the Border Chorders, the El Paso Barbershop Chorus.
In 1971 Stacie finished high school and the family relocated to San Antonio where Newton worked at Fort Sam Houston as a Telecommunications Wire Engineer. In 1974 they then moved to Temple. Until his retirement in 1988, he served as Chief of the Communications Command at Fort Hood managing the telecommunications systems and data networks on the largest military reservation in the free world.
While living in Temple, most warm weather weekends were spent in a newer and larger travel trailer kept at Bayside RV Park in Palacios. They enjoyed making friends, fishing, and going to “tea-time” every afternoon. After Newton’s retirement, they sold their home, bought a new Chevy truck, a new fifth-wheel, and hit the road as full-time RVers in 1992. They loved spending winters in the Rio Grande Valley, but when spring arrived they took off on their big adventures visiting every state in the contiguous U.S. with the exception of Delaware.
Their travels were completed in 1995 and they discovered the beautiful city of Georgetown where they built their retirement home in the Village of River Bend and put down roots in the small community they soon came to love. They were founding and charter members of Wellspring United Methodist Church and were blessed to be a part of that church family for the remainder of their lives. Newton, being a magician with tools, enjoyed puttering around the church, building and fixing things anywhere he saw a need. He delighted in his Tuesday morning coffee sessions with a very special group of Wellspring men for as long as he was able.
Ruth passed away in 2014 and Newton eventually found his way to Wesleyan at Estrella Independent Living. His only regret was that he hadn’t moved sooner. It was such a happy place with lovely staff, delicious food, and plenty of activities. He enjoyed sitting at the men’s table for meals, singing in the choir and inviting friends to lunch. He usually ate at either Wesleyan or one of his many favorites – Sirloin Stockade, Red Lobster or Weir Country Store for burgers. He carried on his “tea time” tradition every afternoon with his Bowie Jackrabbits coffee mug of Sangria.
Newton’s health began to decline after two small strokes in October of 2019 and he moved to Wesleyan Assisted Living in October 2020. Covid-19 has been difficult for everyone and long-term care facilities have been hit especially hard. While the residents have survived the quarantine, none have thrived in this environment. Wesleyan did an amazing job of keeping their residents safe from the virus but they couldn’t protect Newton from the ravages of his heart and lung disease and he ultimately passed away due to a severe exacerbation of his pulmonary fibrosis.
He will be remembered as a sweet, kind, energetic, humble and gentle man who never met a stranger; a man of faith – faith in action rather than words; a man with a true servant’s heart. As long as he was able he loved doing for others. The friends with whom he grew up will remember his loyalty in attending their annual Bowie gatherings until just a few years ago. Newton’s co-workers lovingly called him Whitey. His granddaughters’ families will remember him as PaPa, who was always up for a road trip or a meal together and always had a full bucket of Bob’s peppermints. The great-grandkids loved getting PaPa’s cards with cash in them on special occasions. Upon asking him for Stacie’s hand in marriage, son-in-law Art remembers being asked only if he would love Stacie forever. His daughter remembers him as the loving husband who cared for his wife through her lengthy battle with COPD, and as the blueprint for a perfect dad.
Newton was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth; parents; all of his siblings and their spouses, Dixie Whitehead Fuller (Bill), Davis Ewing Whitehead (Rose), Thurman Joe Whitehead and Charles Curtis Whitehead (Mildred); niece, Margaret Whitehead Stern; nephew, Billy Leon Jones and great-nephew Charles Jason Whitehead.
He is survived by his daughter, Stacia Jan Whitehead Caylor and husband, Art, Cedar Park; grandchildren, Bevyn Caylor Pageler and husband, Tim, Georgetown and Katherine Caylor Beathard and husband, Travis, Austin; great-grandchildren, Bryce Kadyn Beathard, Tessa Hope Pageler, Blake Kendall Beathard and Brady Eli Pageler; nieces and nephews, Dee Whitehead Harris, Steve Howard Whitehead (Connie), Pat Whitehead Hamlett, Timothy Joe Whitehead, Thomas Newton Whitehead, Charles Wilson Fuller (Joye), Jan Fuller Culpepper (Paul), Nancy Fuller Burks, Donna Whitehead Whitley (Billy Ray), Nola Sandoval and Rachel Whitehead Hale (Ronnie); his wife’s nephew, Bobby Overstreet and a host of great-nieces and nephews.
The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the staff of Wesleyan Homes Independent Living, Assisted Living and Home Health for all the love, kindness and patience with which they cared for him. And their appreciation also goes out to the wonderful physicians and nursing staff at Baylor Scott and White in both Round Rock and Georgetown for their excellent and loving care over many years.
Memorials in honor of Newton Whitehead may be directed to the Building Fund at his beloved Wellspring United Methodist Church in Georgetown or to Community First! Village in Austin, a project so dear to his heart.
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