STEPHEN A. NEWMAN
1943-2020
Stephen Andrew Newman, 76, passed away on January 5th, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A man who never lacked a joke or one-liner to give smiles to others, Stephen brought levity to all who knew him.
Steve was born on December 28th, 1943 to Dan and Marjorie Newman in Corpus Christi, Texas. An outdoorsman from the very beginning, Steve spent much of his childhood in Ennis and Greenville, exploring the woodlands and prairies of Northeast Texas. Steve’s love of the Texas outdoors stayed with him his entire life. He enjoyed duck, pheasant, and deer hunting as well as hiking in the Texas Hill Country and Big Bend region. A lover of Texas nature first and foremost, Steve also enjoyed memorable forays into the outdoors beyond the Lone Star State, notably the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, and towards the end of his life, hikes in the Michigan woods with his grandchildren.
Steve graduated from Greenville High School in 1962, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lamar University in 1966, where he pledged the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He remained close to his brothers until the end of his life. He received an MBA from the University of North Texas University in 1972. Stephen’s professional life focused on banking. By the end of his career, he seemed to have a client or former client around every corner in Houston, thanks in no small part to his warm personality and Texas charm. He retired from Wells Fargo Bank in 2016.
Steve served in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve between 1967 and 1977, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. While in the Navy, he met his first wife, Mary Ann Buckley (née Gorgacz) in Bethesda, Maryland. With Mary Ann he had two children Susannah, born in 1970 and Andrew, born in 1978.
In 1998, Steve married Lena Syma. Lena and Steve were particularly fond of Texas history and memorabilia and became regulars at many antique shops in Houston and Galveston. They remained close after their marriage ended; in 2018 Lena passed away in Houston.
During his time in the Navy, Steve discovered he had a love of flying. Twenty years after his discharge from the service he returned to aviation and obtained a pilot’s license. Steve’s interest in flight remained with him until the end of his life. On his 76th birthday, one week before he passed away, he took his son and eldest grandson to an airfield outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan where they watched small planes take-off and land.
Stephen is survived by his sister, Judy Blain of Texarkana, TX, his children Andrew Newman and Susannah Newman, both of Ann Arbor, MI, and his grandchildren, Shane Ali and Oskar Newman, also of Ann Arbor, MI. His memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22nd at 9 AM at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 6622 Haskell St., Houston, TX 77007. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Fund, at https://tpwd.texas. gov/business/donations/.