Nicholas Newell

Nicholas Newell December 2, 1926 - April 13, 2016 Nick Newell passed away peacefully at his home in Elkton, FL on April 13, 2016 at the age of 89 surrounded by family. He is preceded in death by his brother, Gordon James Newell, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Leahrae Belk Newell; sons, Gary Newell (Verdery) of Atlanta and Scot Newell of Ft. Lauderdale;daughter Kelly Bauch (James) of Canton, GA; step-daughters, Donna Perry of Blackshear, GA and Linda McGee (Robert) of Lawrenceville, GA. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Emily Louise Newell, Cameron Verdery Newell (Debby), and Graham Nicholas Bauch; his step-grandson, Brett Logan Perry; and two great-grandchildren Matthew Cameron Newell and Arielle Mia Newell. Born in Utica, NY, Nick and his brother, Gordon, were raised by their maternal grandmother, Rose Stemmer Haley, and herhusband, William “Ernie” Randall,near the Adirondackmountain town of Hoffmeister, NY. Throughout their lives, the two brothers shared many activities and adventures together, including their love of airplanes and flying.Nick maintained connections with friends and family in upstate New York, including each of his brother’s three children: Susan Miller, Cathy Newell-Walters, Cindy Kutas, and their families. Nick enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served his country as a Lt.Navy Aviator in World War II where he flew off the USS Hancock aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theatre. He later served as a trainer for Anti-Submarine Warfare pilots in the Korean War. After his service, he settled in Miami, where he went to work for Bell Labs and Southern Bell. Numerous promotions transferred him to several locations, including Columbus, OH, and finally Jacksonville, FL, where he eventually became North Florida’s Managing Engineer. Always the entrepreneur, he also operated several businesses, sometimes working in partnership with his brother, Gordon. He made his home in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville and eventually developedten acres on Julington Creek. This is where he also stationed his amphibious seaplane. He loved to fly to Cedar Key just to have lunch and return home, landing in Old Bull Bay on the St. Johns River and taxiinghis float plane right up next to the house. He later moved to St. Johns County and built again on the St. Johns River south of Racy Point in Elkton, FL, where he lived the last 20 years of his life, helping raise his step-grandson Brett. After retirement from AT&T,Nick became a sought after consultant for many telecommunication projects, including establishing a new television station in Trinidad and supervising the wiring of all A/V equipment for the annual National Education Association Convention, each summer for the past 15 years. A memorial service is scheduled forFriday, April 29at 11:00 a.m.,at St. Johns Family Funeral Home & Crematory, 385 State Road 207, St. Augustine, Florida.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nick’s name to the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 904-886-3883, https://support.communityhospice.com/donate. St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.