Bryan Newton

BRYAN NEWTON, 61, of Louisville, KY, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 12, 2025, at Norton Hospital (Dutchmans). Born in Louisville, KY, on April 16, 1964, Bryan graduated from Moore High School in 1982. Bryan was a dedicated auto body paint technician with Bachman Chevrolet. He did paint and auto body work for 39 years. He fought a hard, long battle with multiple myeloma cancer for the last five years.
Bryan was a member of Southeast Christian Church (Blankenbaker Campus). He loved the ministry and prayer warriors in his Bible study group. He was a truly genuine person who still displayed chivalry and had a heart for the Lord. He made it his mission to witness to others about Christ, and he did it every time he saw an opportunity, even in the hospital before his last day of life. He loved seeing people be saved.
Bryan had a passion for cars and making them fast. He was a true car enthusiast. Drag racing was a longtime hobby he enjoyed. He was a hardworking and talented man who rarely sat still. He enjoyed projects that kept his hands busy. He could fabricate, build, restore, and fix anything, from building a dining room table to fabricating a whole back end of a car.
Bryan had a sense of humor that would light up the room. Everyone was drawn to him. From his practical jokes to his witty personality, he always had a way of making people laugh.
Bryan had a beautiful singing voice that most came to realize while listening to him sing karaoke. He also liked to play the guitar.
He loved old country music. His favorite singers were Merle Haggard and Jamey Johnson. He loved to listen to live music and have a good time.
Bryan loved animals, especially his dog, Teddy, a wheaten terrier who was his sidekick, shop dog, and mid-console riding truck passenger. Teddy gave him so much love and company. He always put a smile on Bryan's face. He'd say, "I just love that dog!"
Bryan loved his family and friends and truly loved his wife, Melissa, who never left his side through sickness and health, the good times and the bad. They were a team. He loved his daughter, Jess, and was so proud of the Christ-centered woman and wonderful mother she had become. He loved and adored his grandchildren; they were his greatest joy. He looked forward to FaceTime and watching videos of their sweet faces and voices. He just wished he lived closer to them.
He was preceded in death by his father, Rev. Joseph "Jay" Earl Newton Jr.
Left to cherish his memory is his loving wife, Melissa W. Newton; his daughter, Jessica Ardonne Schmidt (Eric); his step-daughter, Scottie Harris; his mother, Gaye Bolton; his stepmother, Carolyn Newton; his sisters, Debbie Fowler (Larry), Cheryl Willett (Tim), and Amanda Jacobs (J.P.); his nieces and nephews, Brett Willett, Brookelyn Cubbage (Andrew), Arin Fowler, Evan Fowler, Avery Fowler, Caleb, Zachary "Zach," Elias "Eli," and Sebastian; and his beloved grandchildren, Esther Robin Schmidt, Oliver "Ollie" Dean Schmidt, Alden Maxwell "Max" Schmidt, and Ivy June Schmidt.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025, at Ratterman and Sons Funeral Home–Jeffersontown, 10600 Taylorsville Road. His funeral service will have visitation prior from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., with the service at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in the Ratterman Chapel. Burial will follow privately with family at Cave Hill Cemetery, 701 Baxter Avenue.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to Blood Cancer United.