David Robert Newell

1940 - 2013

David Robert Newell, 73, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at The Hills Church of Christ, Richland Hills Campus. Entombment: Greenwood Mausoleum. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Greenwood Funeral Home. Memorials: For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: PurpleStride DFW-Team Dave Newell. We will be walking a 5K on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Dave's honor for those who would like to join the cause. David was born on June 1, 1940, in Fort Worth to the late W.J. "Jack" Newell and Delle Shofner Newell. David was the quintessential Fort Worth boy with deep eastside roots. He attended D. McRae Elementary, William James Junior High, and graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1958. From 1959-1963 he proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy and as part of his tour, he was on a guided missile frigate at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. He returned to the area and received his BBA in finance from the University of Texas in Arlington in 1966. He received his MBA in finance and an MA in economics from the University of Houston in 1969. He was an assistant professor of finance at the University of Missouri at Columbia before moving to Jacksonville, Fla., which launched his career in real estate and construction management. In 1974, David joined his brother and father in the family partnership Newell & Newell. They built the Newell & Newell Business Park, later known as RiverBend Business Park, which consisted of over two million square feet of industrial and business park properties and the RiverBend Athletic Club. The park was developed on 1,100 acres in Northeast Fort Worth which now is home to UTA's Automation and Robotics Institute. The family partnership donated the land for the 18-acre campus and built the initial building. He later went on to specialize in the field of mergers and acquisitions. David was active in many civic projects such as the Fort Worth Currency Plant, the advisory board at UTA, and was a member of the board of Trinity Valley School, where his daughters attended. David married the love of his life, Delane Ray, on Christmas Eve 1976. They raised two wonderful daughters and he loved taking care of "his three girls." He was blessed with three grandchildren and loved getting the family together at his home on Eagle Mountain Lake. As a lifetime member of the Church of Christ, Dave loved God and he lived his life with deep conviction. Dave loved meeting his Dirty Dozen golf group at Colonial Country Club on Saturday mornings and it was a rare weekend when he missed the 7:30 a.m. tee-time. He loved hunting, fishing, and watching his Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys. Dave was never afraid of a challenge and his philosophy was it was better to try and fail than not try at all. He never met a stranger and will be remembered for his huge heart, kind spirit, and unwavering devotion to his family and friends. The family would like to thank Dr. Janice Knebl, Dr. Bart Pate and the amazing nurses of Community Hospice of Fort Worth, all of whom have been instrumental in his journey. Survivors: His loving wife of 37 years, Delane; daughters, Dayna Kline and husband, Jacob, Dawn Ferguson and husband, Taylor; brother, Kenneth Newell and wife, Carla; sister, Kay Plumb-Lammert and husband, Dave; grandchildren, Reed and Parker Kline, Zoe Ferguson; and many loving nieces, nephews and cousins.