Van Elliot Newberry was born
February 29, 1956 in Paducah, KY to Wilma L. and Martha Stevens Newberry.
A graduate of Heath High School, he attended the University of Kentucky
and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He married Cecilia Miller on July 31,
1981 at St. Francis de Sales church in Paducah, KY. They were married for 36
years and have four children: Nolan, Raven, Buddy, and Shannon. Van was struck
and killed while cycling to his parents’ home on October 13, 2016 in Paducah,
KY. He was 60 years old.
As a trained Civil Engineer,
Van started his own surveying business, Newberry Surveying, which he operated
from 1987 to 1990. Service to the community was a large part of Van’s life; he
served as both the Road Engineer (1990-2002) and as Judge Executive (2006-2014)
to McCracken County. During this time, he was most proud of bringing the Murray
State University satellite campus to Paducah, working on road safety (notably
the Holt Road and Maxine Road projects), and supporting the construction of the
Korean War Memorial. He facilitated the creation of the McCracken County soccer
complex, dedicating his services Pro Bono. He developed the Community
Scholarship Program and designed the Emergency Management Operations Center,
the McCracken County Road Department Building and Training Facility and the
McCracken County Rescue Facility. Van also orchestrated the development of the
Paducah Modelers Air Park.
He loved bulldogs, read a
book a day, and had been training to hike the Appalachian Trail at the time of
his death. Before the age of 8, he had read the entire set of Encyclopedia
Britannica. Van learned to fly at an early age and completed his first solo
flight on his 16th birthday, hours before receiving his driver’s
license. As a Leap Day baby, this was technically only his fourth birthday.
Van greatly enjoyed being
with his family: discussing books and current events, playing board and word
games, and gardening, hiking, and biking. He was an excellent chef and
loved to cook for his family, and always had a kind and ready laugh for them.
His death will leave a profound hole in the lives of those who knew and loved
him.
Van is survived by wife
Cecilia Newberry; children, Nolan Newberry, Raven Newberry (Aaron Caldwell),
Vance “Buddy” Newberry, and Shannon Newberry; brothers, Stan Newberry, Danny
Newberry (Joy), Brandon Newberry (Robin); sisters, Anne Newberry (Rick Nance),
Jana Mansfield (Lynn); brothers-in-law, Archie Miller III (Margaret), David
Miller (Alice); sisters-in-law, Frances Harbison (Jay), Julia Ward (Mike),
Kathy Kepner, and Teresa Dyer (Cecil).
He is also survived by:
Nieces and Nephews (some who
fondly knew him as Uncle Bubba): Elesha Newberry Kronenberg, Joseph Mansfield,
Sara Mansfield Scott, Beth Newberry Gurney, Levi Mansfield, Derek Nance, Warren
Newberry, Alexandra Nance, Garrett Newberry, James Choate, Kaitlyn Newberry,
Hannah Newberry, Peyton Newberry, Marcia Harbison, Michelle Merges, James
Harbison Jr., Joseph Harbison, Jana Troseth, Chris Miller, Hillary Curtis,
Matthew Miller, Michael Ward Jr., Adam Ward, Mark Ward, Nicholas Ward, Michael Kepner
Jr., John Kepner, Aleeta Zeller, Mitzie Dyer, Robert Dyer, Ben Miller, and
Rachel Kohler.
Aunts and Uncles: Nan
Skidmore (Bud), Norma Morehead, Curt and Janet Stevens, Gary and Joanne
Stevens, Mary Stevens, Wayne and Melissa Newberry, Don and Barbara Newberry,
Louis and Shirley Newberry, June Gould, Jean Newberry, and numerous cousins and
a wealth of great nephews and nieces whom he loved dearly.
Van is preceded in death by
grandparents Albert Levi and Myra Myrtle Wallis Newberry and Pete Leon and Anna
Gertrude Raines Stevens, in-laws Archie and Jeanette Miller, brother-in-law
Mike Kepner, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Funeral Services will be
held Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Luther F. Carson Center.
Visitation will begin at 4:00 p.m.
Graveside services will be
held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in
Bandana, KY.
Memorial donations may be made to: The
League of American Bicyclists www.bikeleague.org
, Big Brothers Big Sisters 2202 N. Westshore Blvd,
Suite 455,Tampa,
FL 33607, McCracken County Youth Soccer MCYSA, P.O. Box 8062, Paducah, KY 42002-8062, Paul
Rowton Indoor Tennis Center, 5705 Old Highway 60 W., Paducah KY,US,42001, Cassidy’s Cause Therapeutic Riding Academy 6075 Clinton
Road, Paducah, KY 42001
You may leave a message of
sympathy or light a memorial candle at milnerandorr.com.