Robert A. Newman (Bob), 83, of Bowling Green, passed peacefully on March 10, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born in Burlington, KY to his late father, Everett E. Newman and late mother, Ethel Maddox Newman.
Bob moved from northern Kentucky as a child and lived in Bowling Green most of his life. He was a member of First Baptist Church, where his mother worked. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Western Kentucky University.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Mable Newman, his daughter, Mellanie Newman Wheeler, his sister, Sharon Turner and great-granddaughter, Annie Grimes.
He is survived by his brother, Dan Newman, brother-in-law, Rusty Turner, his children, Stephen Newman (Kim) of Franklin, TN, Kathy Pruett (Randy) and Joey Violette (Shelia) and their extended families.
He is survived by his grandchildren, Ryan Wheeler (Janna), Erin Wheeler, Joanna Ballard (Brent), Blake Pruett, Nicole Grimes (Eddy), and Kelly Violette, several nieces and nephews, great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
“Mr. Newman” was as a teacher at Richardsville Middle School for many years. After retiring from teaching, he spent the next 30 years building his own insurance business.
Bob was a huge sports fan and rarely missed any WKU games, and especially loved the NCAA tournament and bowl games. He has been following WKU sports since his early days watching games at the Old Red Barn. Bob and Mable could be seen watching their grandchildren play youth sports.
Bob was a “survivor”, winning a hard-fought battle against cancer nearly 20 years ago and survived an EF-3 tornado during the outbreak in 2021. He had a “green thumb” and enjoyed growing beautiful plants, trees and vegetables.
The funeral will be held at Johnson Vaughn Phelps Funeral Home with burial at Fairview Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday, March 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followed immediately by the funeral service.
Comments