Teddy "Ted" Newman

Teddy Lee Newman (74) also known as Ted, Honey, Dad, and Grandpa, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 2, 1941 to Benjamin and Dorothy (Bates) Newman, completed his final earthly journey and entered his eternal rest November 12, 2015 at Miller Memorial Care Center in Chappell, NE.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at the Community Wesleyan Church in Lewellen with Pastor Duane Dunwoody officiating. Services will conclude at the church.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 pm. to 6:00 p.m. Monday at the Holechek Funeral Home in Oshkosh.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ted's name can be made to the Gideon Bibles, the Lewellen Wesleyan Church or the Alzheimer's Foundation.

Holechek Funeral Home in Oshkosh is serving the Newman family.

Ted, the youngest of twelve children, received his graduation credentials from Lincoln High School in Lincoln NE in 1965. He married Venetta Trogdon in 1960. To this union two children were born, Benjamin Lawrence and Michael LeRoy. This marriage ended in divorce and a subsequent marriage to Lynn Sanford. To this union another son was born, Todd Lee.

Early in life he developed his love of horses by rising early to go to the race track to hot walk his brother’s thoroughbred horses, readying them for their race. This developed over the years into his involvement with the rodeo circuit where he competed in roping, team roping, team penning, and bulldogging. After years of competition he eventually organized and promoted Old Timers Rodeos in Las Vegas, NV for seven years.

He was a member of the Shriners, an appendage of the Fraternity of Free Masonry. One of his most enjoyable functions to participate in the Shrine was the Shrine Black Horse Patrol and the Bug Patrol (Volkswagen Bug cars where numerous skilled maneuvers were initiated as they progressed down the parade route).

The kind, gentle, caring and passionate demeanor (the core of his being) was exemplified when he, along with his brother Donnie, worked together with Capitol Association for Retarded Children in what ultimately has become known today as Special Olympics. He organized, streamlined and was actively involved in the fund raising endeavor called Honey Sunday created as a massive one-day endeavor to garner operational money for special need kid’s sports events.

After a broken back accident that necessitated months of hospital and rehab recovery, he obtained a job with the University of Nebraska in Lincoln (UNL) in their maintenance department that started his quest for knowledge in the field of chemicals and their usage. The University allowed him to take courses at minimal cost to further his education which opened up a broad variety of employment opportunities.

He worked for Kelso Chemicals, a custodial chemical business, in Omaha, NE and later National Sanitary Supply Company in Las Vegas, NV. There he was District Sales Manager, responsible for opening new territory and expanding customers to over 300 active accounts and developed training programs and conducting classroom instruction to the company sales staff.

He returned to Omaha, NE and started work at H. P. Smith Ford as a used car salesman, soon being promoted to Sales Manager. He was responsible for a sales staff of twenty salesmen, purchasing inventory, reconditioning all vehicles, marketing vehicles, promoting sales aids, sales promotions, budgets, developing training programs and customer service problems (to name a few). Additionally he managed the F & I Department (Financial and Insurance).

Early in 1992 he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and shortly thereafter with the disease Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH). Due to these health related issues he was forced into early retirement (late 1992) and the start of his long journey of determining the cause of pain he was experiencing physically.

After months of inactivity resulting in extreme boredom and non-mental challenges, his son Todd suggested he go to work for Morgan Drive Away as an independent driver delivering camping trailers from manufacturers to dealers coast to coast. He loved the challenge of driving the highways from California to New York, Canada to the southern coast, and everywhere in between.

It was during this time he met Dorothy, his current wife. They were married in 1996, and just celebrated their 19TH wedding anniversary. She traveled the highways with him until he decided to retire once again (end of 2000) because of health issues that continued to ravage his physical body. During the next few years it became obvious there were signs of early onset dementia which was later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease,

After his long journey of continually fighting two devastating diseases, God saw him getting tired, his golden heart stopped beating and he entered his eternal home, forever at peace and rest, in the loving arms of Jesus.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy, Oshkosh, NE; Brothers: Larry Newman, Lincoln, NE, Donnie Newman, Lincoln, NE: Sons: Benjamin and Michael, Cheyenne, WY, Todd, Omaha, NE; Grandchildren: Benjamin (Kelly) Newman, Wheat Ridge, CO, Kyla Paczkowski, Omaha, NE, Britney Newman, Seattle, WA; Great Grandchildren: Rex Newman and Karliee Paczkowski, Jack Newman; Step-daughters: Dawnya (Rick) Hickel, Ronda (Rob) Lewis; Step-Grandchildren: CiJi Folk, Ryan Hickel, Tarilynn Hickel, Amanda (Grant) Jackson; Bri’Ana Lewis, Kyle Lewis.