Thomas James Newton II

Thomas James Newton II, age 82, of Jeffersonville, Indiana attained his heavenly reward on October 9, 2024. Born on August 12, 1942, the eldest son of Capt. Thomas James Newton, a cavalry officer stationed at Ft. Ringgold, Texas, "Tommy" grew up an army brat, attending kindergarten in Germany and graduating high school in Japan, before his parents finally settled in Mineral Wells, Texas. He began his college studies at the University of Texas in Austin but decided to enlist in the United States Air Force in 1964. Tom served as an aircraft communication and radar warning repairman in the Philippines during his four-year term of service, 1964-1968, then returned stateside to earn his bachelor's in electrical engineering from Lamar University in 1971. He commenced his career as a marine electronics repairman working on oil tankers off the coast of southeast Texas before accepting a position with the Department of the Army as a civil service engineer in 1983. He was a systems engineer for the Major Automated Instrumentation Systems (MAIS) program based at Ft. Hood, TX, building tank gunnery ranges across the U.S., as well as Germany and South Korea. In 1990, he transferred to the Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) in Orlando, Florida, where he worked until his retirement in 2012.
While engineering was his chosen vocation, the artistic passion in Tom's life was writing poetry. In his book, The Conservative Rebellion, a collection of sixty-four selected poems, he credits "my wife, who kindled my flame of poetry" for his initial inspiration, which would become a lifelong pastime. Through the "Newtonian Sonnet" form, he explored the technological ascent of mankind as a major theme, later shifting to more political and cultural commentary. "Earthrise", which he regarded as his signature poem, was inspired by a photo taken in 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission. "Farewell to a Hero", his tribute to the first combat casualty in Operation Enduring Freedom, was selected for publication in the Wall Street Journal and recited at a Rally for America event in 2003. His poetry has also been published in Pulse and Hatteras.
In April 1970, Tom married the love of his life and aforementioned poetry muse, Joy Faye (Sanford) Fullingim. They both came to fully know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer during their marriage and were dedicated Christians for the rest of their lives. Upon Tom's retirement they moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana to fellowship with the body of believers at the Branham Tabernacle & Voice of God Recordings, their long-time church family. They were married for 44 years, until Joy's death in 2014, only two years into his retirement. They are survived by their four children: Thomas "Trey" James Newton III (Sheila) of Marysville, IN; Laura Prakash (Japheth) of Henryville, IN; Grace Newton (Randy Steinberg) of Raleigh, NC; and Daniel Newton (Felicia) of Longwood, FL as well as five grandchildren: Aaron and Haele Newton, Jacelyn, Jared, and Josiah Prakash; a great-granddaughter Aurora Newton. Tom is also survived by his brother William B. Newton of San Antonio, TX and preceded in death by his parents Thomas J. and Clarice Newton; and younger sister Bonnie Dollison.
Dad spent the past decade living independently in the home he and Mom had shared. He greatly enjoyed weekly visits to his favorite restaurants, always ready with a few jokes or quips for the staff and fellow patrons. During his years as a widower, he also volunteered his time in support of Floyd County Tobacco Prevention and became a lifetime member Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, National Rifle Association and the Republican National Committee. He was a staunch supporter of the Nation of Israel through generous donations to charities supporting IDF soldiers. We treasure the time we spent around the dining room table with Dad during "Newton Puzzle Club", a tradition the Newton siblings started after Mom passed. He got his exercise on regular walks at Perrin Park, stopping to feed the ducks, geese & turtles and collecting discarded cigarette butts along the way as a public service. He liked to give a nod to his retired status by boasting that the only scheduled obligation on his calendar was to "Check the mail at 3 PM". As the last Newton sibling to marry, Grace is so grateful that her father was able to present her at the ceremony and share in her wedding day celebration with our family in August, a few days after celebrating his 82nd birthday. He remained devoted to Joy's memory, faithfully placing a rose at her final resting place each week, and we know he is sublimely happy to be reunited with her once again in that glorious place that awaits those who have accepted God's gift of eternal life.
A private graveside service will be held at Eastern Cemetery the week of October 15, 2024.
In lieu of flowers or meals, donations can be made to Voice of God Recordings or the American Legion.
We would love it if you would take a moment to share a memory of Dad with us!
~The Newton Family