Obituary: Newbold, Donald Morris
Don came into this world on December 24, 1925, in Lebam, Washington.
He was the son of Ida and Ammon Newbold.
Don grew up in Willapa Valley, Washington, and was a loving son and helpmate to his mother in the midst of the great depression.
Among his many adventures as a child, he cut cascara bark in the hills above the Willapa River and delivered newspapers before school to farms and logging camps with his beloved dog, Panda.
Don had many childhood friendships that endured through the years.
Don graduated from Willapa Valley High School in 1943, where he enjoyed playing sax in a jazz band called “Seinko’s Syncopating Six”.
Upon graduation, he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked in the Kaiser shipyard in Vancouver, Washington, helping build “Baby Flat Tops” (aircraft carriers), awaiting his call to service in the Marine Corps.
Don did his basic training in San Diego and became part of the 5th Marine Division that trained in Hawaii in 1944 and early 1945 for the assault on Iwo Jima in February, 1945.
He served in the 26th Regiment, 3rd Battalion as a radio operator on a Naval Fire Advance Team on Iwo, and was a part of the occupation forces in Japan.
After WWII, Don received a college education at Washington State University (WSU) through the GI Bill of Rights.
He was a loyal “Coug”.
After graduating from WSU, Don returned to the Willapa Harbor area starting a career in insurance and met a beautiful young lady, Tempa Christine Testerman, who stole his heart.
He and Christine were married in Raymond, Washington in 1950 and started their life together in Seattle, where Don pursued his career in insurance.
His career led him to opportunities in Tacoma, Portland and ultimately in Olympia, where he purchased an insurance agency.
Don was able to help many people through his chosen profession.
He had a fabulous sense of humor and treated every person with whom he came in contact with respect and brought out the best in everyone.
He loved life.
Don is survived by his wife of 65 years, Christine Newbold, of Spokane Valley; sons, Mark (Judy) Newbold of Spokane, Matt (Val) Newbold of Kirkland, WA; grandchildren, Andrea (David) Knaggs of Spokane, Amy Newbold of Los Angeles, CA, Jake (Sarah) Newbold of Moscow, ID, Nerys Newbold of Seattle WA and Lacy Newbold of Bethel, Maine; and great-grandchildren, Joshua, Isabel, Bobby and Quinn Knaggs of Spokane, WA.
A memorial service will be held for Don at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W Espanola Rd., Medical Lake, WA, 99022 on Friday, April 17, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. A reception is to follow at Mark and Judy Newbold’s house, at 12:00.
Memorials can be given in Don’s memory to Christ Clinic, P.O.
Box 28235, Spokane, WA 99228 or the “Donald M. Newbold Scholarship Fund In Insurance”, c/o Mike McNamara, WSU Risk Management and Insurance Program, Dept.
of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate, P.O.
Box 644746, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4746.