Victor Alan Newlin
December 27, 1961 – May 13, 2021
Victor Alan Newlin, 59, of Ripley, passed away peacefully early Thursday morning, surrounded by his children and the love of his life, Doris. His life was one of generosity and kindness, and all who knew him see the world in a brighter light. Visitation with family and friends will take place from 4:00-7:00pm on Monday, May 17, and a celebration of life is to follow at 2:00pm on Tuesday, May 18. Both will be held at Victory Baptist Church at 275 Faye Barfield Rd. in Henning. All who knew and loved him are invited to join. Victor was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana on December 27, 1961, and was shortly thereafter adopted by a local family by the name of Wisdom. Alan Wisdom, as he was known during this time, was cherished by his family. Nevertheless, the untimely death of his adoptive parents would place him in foster care at a young age, and he would forever recall the Wisdoms as the family God had purposefully given him as an example - a family that would, in fact, impart on him a lifetime of wisdom and a loving demeanor. Victor aged out of foster care and joined the United States Navy at 17. He circumnavigated the globe aboard the U.S.S. Eisenhower, settling for longer periods in the Philippines and Singapore, and often recalled the (sometimes comical, sometimes unsettling) mishaps between the Russian and American navies at sea during the Cold War. He found himself in the Gulf of Oman during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, and frequently told of how he watched a thousand men find God on the night they were told to prepare for battle, and then inexplicably lose him at the afterparty on the day of the hostages' release. During these years, he sailed on every ocean and visited every continent in the world besides Antarctica. Victor recalled these experiences delicately and with a comic air, but would occasionally hint at how the first 20 years of his life taught him to cherish every moment of the last 39. After the Navy, Victor reunited with his birth mother, Margaret Best, and settled in Immokalee, Florida where he would begin work at a vegetable packing house. It was here he would meet Doris, who worked equally long and exhausting hours to make ends meet. Their first "date" was to Taco Bell, and a short year later, on January 10, 1983, they married on an hour lunch break from work. They traveled the Atlantic Coast to find seasonal work throughout their first year, and in September of that year, they welcomed their daughter, Heather, in Hendersonville, North Carolina. When asked later in life why Victor never spoke of his world travels, he said, "someday you're going to find a woman who loves you unconditionally, and you will be handed a baby in a hospital that you will love more than you knew you could love anyone, and nothing else you've ever done will seem like much to talk about." Victor and Doris would have a son, Nathaniel, 13 years later. Victor Newlin became the whole world's dad. If a child in the neighborhood was struggling with homework or needing a place to stay, Victor was called. He encouraged all children, not just his own, to become critical thinkers, to develop opinions, to journal their thoughts, to learn math, to study philosophy, and to be tactful. Many people jokingly called him "professor," but trusted that he would offer a fresh and sensible perspective into almost any scenario. He believed that mathematics offered the only objective reality, and when asked a philosophical or ethical question, would often respond, "the answer is 4." This was to say that we may each feel strongly about certain issues but that we could universally rally around the truth that 2 plus 2 will always be 4. Victor was an ever-present figure in times of need and guided his own family and others through times of crisis with a strong but compassionate hand. He bought food for the needy without recognition, left anonymous gifts, and found true contentment in making others feel wanted, loved, and safe. When visiting Nathaniel at his college dorm, he overheard that a student down the hall was struggling to get a meal plan, and he gave his son a certain allowance to stealthily ensure that this student always had dinner. Victor worked at Autozone for 23 years, where he met many of his dearest friends, including Jon and Mike, whom he loved as his own sons. To the dismay of some and to the enjoyment of many, he lectured his coworkers and customers as he did all children, encouraging them to learn valuable skills, think critically, and to always consider that the answer is 4. He had a way of crossing demographical boundaries to speak with anyone about anything, and made an unlikely assortment of friends from every walk of life. Many people have attested that their lives were changed by unscheduled conversations with Victor at his work. He devoted himself to his family and in the last two decades found his contentment in the laughter of his grandchildren, who called him "Peepaw." He has 7 and counting - Phoenix (18), Athena (16), Aisa (14), Christian (12), Hadley (8), Harper (4) and Camdan (3). Christmas was his favorite holiday purely because it gave him the opportunity to express his love for his children and grandchildren in new ways, and he and Doris would begin preparations for the coming Christmas immediately after the New Year. When he fell ill earlier this year, the community rallied around him as he had supported them for decades, offering prayers, visiting, and sharing memories with him to affirm that the world was, in fact, a better place because he had been a part of it. The last time he spoke with his son, he said that he had no idea that so many people loved him, and he shed tears at the realization that he made so many friends and had touched so many lives in his 29 years as a member of this community. Victor Alan Newlin packed into each year of his life a degree of virtue that many of us express in a lifetime. When his son was a small boy, he would lay in the backyard at night and teach him about the stars. He told him of the magnitude of the universe, and that due to the delay in the speed of light, many of the stars that we see each night died hundreds or even thousands of years ago, but that God saw fit to carry their light far across the galaxies just to be seen by our eyes. There is perhaps no better analogy for the life of Victor Newlin. His light will carry on in the love of the woman who called him "Superman," the memories of we who called him "Daddy," the laughter of those who called him "Peepaw," and in the successes of everyone who learned from his life-altering examples of sensibility and generosity. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Doris, his daughter Heather and her husband Steven, his son Nathaniel and his partner Kaleigh, his beloved grandchildren, his sister Cheryl, his brother Scott, a team of dear coworkers, and hundreds of friends who mourn the loss of a confidant and mentor and the end of a life well lived. Previous Events Calling Hours MAY 17. 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CT) Victory Baptist Church 275 Faye Barfield Rd Henning, TN 38041 Service MAY 18. 2:00 PM (CT) Victory Baptist Church 275 Faye Barfield Rd Henning, TN 38041
Halls Funeral Home
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