Douglas Newell Memorial Fund
Donation protected
A letter from Sherri:
As you may know, my husband, Douglas Newell passed away from a heart attack on March 24, 2022.
His death was very sudden and unexpected and devastating.
We were high school sweethearts and crazy in love with each other our whole lives. He asked me to be his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, how cliché! May 1st, 2022 would have been our 40th anniversary. He was my best friend and I always told people we’d been “Going steady” for 43 years.
He kept a running countdown on his phone; how many years, days, hours, and minutes until he could retire and spend more time with me. We had dreams. Little dreams, the things we enjoyed doing together and with friends and family. Kayaking, camping, beach combing and rock hounding trips, you know, inspiring dreams of fun and adventure. Dreams you make when you have no idea that your time is limited. Those dreams are no longer important, what is, is that our old house is in drastic need of repair… its 110 years old! It has been in my family its whole life, passed down to daughters for generations, it has always been a multigenerational home. My poor husband had no idea what he was getting himself into!
My family came to the Willamette Valley on the first wagon train over the Applegate Trail. Our farm was established in 1850 and our home, the third one on the property, was built in 1910 after its predecessor was lost to fire. One room was finished in time for my grandmother’s birth.
The BIG dreams that Doug and I had were to fix her up a bit, well actually, a lot! Now, without Doug, this feels impossible.
Most people know that Doug was a compulsive volunteer. He enjoyed 20 years of service with the Philomath Fire Department and before moving back to Oregon from Montana we both volunteered with the Trout Creek Fire Department, the Sanders County Search and Rescue and were EMTs with Noxon Ambulance Service, all at the same time. Like I said, compulsive volunteer! Those years, working together, in all sorts of diversity, are years I cherish and would do over again in a heartbeat. They also contributed to our dilemma. Between calls to help people in their darkest hour and helping to train the next generation of responders, he had little time or energy to focus on our home, and it shows. In order to keep our historic home alive, we need help.
Its hard to know where to start with a house this old, so we want to start at the top, with a new roof that doesn’t let the blessed Oregon rain in! Our roof is the original shake with tile that was overlayed in the 1950s due to fire concerns. That’s it, no insulation, period. This could cost upwards of $60,000.
My hope is that you recognize the valuable member of the community that Doug was and that he was able to lift you up in some way, to encourage you to keep going and to keep laughing. That was his thing, he cared about people, he laughed loud, played his music loud, and he loved life and food!
If Doug has touched your heart during his time on this earth, I hope that you might think of him and pay it forwards to others that you meet who could use encouragement and a kind word, because lord knows we’ve all been there and probably will be again!
I want to thank you, from the both of us, for all that you have done for our family. Your thoughts and prayers, the beautiful flowers and financial donations, your outpouring of love has been truly amazing!
Doug never went anywhere without running into a friend and I don’t imagine that death has changed that!
Remember my friends, life is shorter than we think. Live it well, with love in your hearts. We did.
-Sherri Newell
As you may know, my husband, Douglas Newell passed away from a heart attack on March 24, 2022.
His death was very sudden and unexpected and devastating.
We were high school sweethearts and crazy in love with each other our whole lives. He asked me to be his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, how cliché! May 1st, 2022 would have been our 40th anniversary. He was my best friend and I always told people we’d been “Going steady” for 43 years.
He kept a running countdown on his phone; how many years, days, hours, and minutes until he could retire and spend more time with me. We had dreams. Little dreams, the things we enjoyed doing together and with friends and family. Kayaking, camping, beach combing and rock hounding trips, you know, inspiring dreams of fun and adventure. Dreams you make when you have no idea that your time is limited. Those dreams are no longer important, what is, is that our old house is in drastic need of repair… its 110 years old! It has been in my family its whole life, passed down to daughters for generations, it has always been a multigenerational home. My poor husband had no idea what he was getting himself into!
My family came to the Willamette Valley on the first wagon train over the Applegate Trail. Our farm was established in 1850 and our home, the third one on the property, was built in 1910 after its predecessor was lost to fire. One room was finished in time for my grandmother’s birth.
The BIG dreams that Doug and I had were to fix her up a bit, well actually, a lot! Now, without Doug, this feels impossible.
Most people know that Doug was a compulsive volunteer. He enjoyed 20 years of service with the Philomath Fire Department and before moving back to Oregon from Montana we both volunteered with the Trout Creek Fire Department, the Sanders County Search and Rescue and were EMTs with Noxon Ambulance Service, all at the same time. Like I said, compulsive volunteer! Those years, working together, in all sorts of diversity, are years I cherish and would do over again in a heartbeat. They also contributed to our dilemma. Between calls to help people in their darkest hour and helping to train the next generation of responders, he had little time or energy to focus on our home, and it shows. In order to keep our historic home alive, we need help.
Its hard to know where to start with a house this old, so we want to start at the top, with a new roof that doesn’t let the blessed Oregon rain in! Our roof is the original shake with tile that was overlayed in the 1950s due to fire concerns. That’s it, no insulation, period. This could cost upwards of $60,000.
My hope is that you recognize the valuable member of the community that Doug was and that he was able to lift you up in some way, to encourage you to keep going and to keep laughing. That was his thing, he cared about people, he laughed loud, played his music loud, and he loved life and food!
If Doug has touched your heart during his time on this earth, I hope that you might think of him and pay it forwards to others that you meet who could use encouragement and a kind word, because lord knows we’ve all been there and probably will be again!
I want to thank you, from the both of us, for all that you have done for our family. Your thoughts and prayers, the beautiful flowers and financial donations, your outpouring of love has been truly amazing!
Doug never went anywhere without running into a friend and I don’t imagine that death has changed that!
Remember my friends, life is shorter than we think. Live it well, with love in your hearts. We did.
-Sherri Newell
Fundraising team (2)
Ruby, Andrew, and Ella Newell
Organizer
Corvallis, OR
Sherri Newell
Beneficiary
Megan Newell
Team member