James Randall Newman passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and family on November 28, 2023 in Denison, Texas after a lengthy and hard fought battle with liver disease.

James was born on January 3, 1966 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to James E. And Stella Parker Newman. He grew up all over the world on various Air Force bases, loving and learning all there is to know about every kind of aircraft. These experiences in England, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Taiwan, and Guam fostered a lifelong love of all things military and kindled a dream to become an army ranger. James worked incredibly hard at H. Grady Spruce High School in Dallas so that he was able to graduate a year early. He enlisted in the United States Army at age 17 and completed basic training in the 1st Infantry Training Brigade 6th Battalion at Ft. Benning in Georgia. He then went on to ranger training in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina and, with just a week left to go, he suffered an injury that ended his dream of becoming an Army Ranger.

James returned to the North Texas area and began working in the restaurant business in McKinney, Texas. During these years he was blessed with the arrival of his son, James Michael, whom he helped his parents raise. James ultimately found a career in the manufacturing industry at Rytek Chemicals and then eventually at International Paper. He deeply treasured his time here, and made many lifelong friends as he worked his way up from the factory floor to purchasing agent. Life once again had other plans and when the paper industry declined in 2007, he relocated to Sherman, Texas and began working at CertainTeed Corporation. Shortly thereafter he met the love of his life, Margaret Vaught. They married in 2008 and life became sweet, and once again full of promise. He reevaluated his life goals and decided to pursue a dream of becoming a teacher. He attended Grayson County College, earning his Associates Degree, and then transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University to continue his quest in obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. It is important to understand that during this rebuilding renaissance James never stopped working full time at Sherman Independent School District in various roles beginning with serving as a custodian at Jefferson Elementary and Sherman High School. He took positions with the paint crew, warehouse, and ultimately as a teachers' aide working in Special Education in the behavior unit at Fairview Elementary, which then led to becoming a resource paraprofessional at Dillingham Intermediate School. All of these diverse roles gave him a unique perspective on education, and fueled a burning desire to help students. After doing his student teaching at Neblett Elementary and graduating with honors from SOSU in December 2020, James was hired as a second grade teacher, a position he relished and held until he became too ill to continue.

James and Margaret enjoyed these fruitful and hardworking years in the company of their beloved Boston Terriers. Nothing gave him such contentment as the weekends spent watching football, smoking barbecue, going to Choctaw Casino, and hanging out with his wife, family, dogs, and buddies. He loved watching movies, going to car shows with his dad, eating his momma's good cooking, playing video games with his son, and dancing with his wife in their living room. James was so humble about all he had accomplished. He quietly built relationships and would often give away his Nintendo and Wii game sets to his students who had never experienced the joy of having such luxuries. He enjoyed learning about history and was a voracious reader. James' mind was so sharp and full of facts and figures that he would often become frustrated while watching documentaries which gave incorrect information. He was a hard worker who arrived at school often before the building was unlocked, and rarely missed work until his health failed. He set a new goal to transition to becoming a high school history teacher and received that certification in the summer of 2023. Unfortunately he was never able to see his passionate dream to fruition. After having back surgery in the spring of 2023 he couldn't wait to get back to school and was there on the first day the building opened in July so that he could prepare his classroom for the upcoming year. He reinjured his back moving his classroom furniture and began an endless and grueling cycle of hospitalizations and invasive procedures that lasted until his death. The strong pain medication and a serious fall which injured his spleen decompensated his already fragile liver and became a perfect storm. With the support of Margaret and his family by his side, he sought out a liver transplant through the University of Texas at Southwestern in Dallas, his only hope in regaining his health. He fought so hard and endured such torturous pain, doing everything he could to stay with his wife, son, parents, dogs, family, and friends. He suffered a cardiac arrest on November 12 and received 3 rounds of CPR and was brought back. Ultimately this was the final straw for his poor, failing body and on November 21 he was removed from the transplant eligibility list. He chose to follow the path of comfort and care through hospice. He will be remembered for his kind and gentle heart, his willingness to help anyone in need, his unending love of animals, his playful sense of humor and quick wit. His family takes comfort in knowing that James is reunited with his Savior, family and his dogs and cats that went before him.

James was predeceased by his grandparents Floyd and Etta Parker, Drew and Marie Barnes, and his mother-in-law, Carolyn Vaught. He leaves behind his cherished wife and soulmate, his precious parents, and his beloved son, as well as his sister Roxanne Soliz (Jesse) all of Sherman; father-in-law Paul Vaught, Jr. (Sylvia); sisters-in-law Susan Stockstill (Ray); Christina Dupont (Chris); brother-in-law Paul Vaught III (Rachel) all of Baton Rouge, LA; aunts and uncles Richard Barnes (Mary) of Franklin, TN, Meda Beaty (Ted), Neta Krause (Tom) all of Collinsville, TX; Sonny Parker of Gainesville, TX; and Charles Cottrell (Wanda) of Sherman; along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The family wishes to express great appreciation for the doctors at U T Southwestern Clements Hospital for their noble effort to extend his life, to Dr. Hesham Elgouhari of the Texas Liver Institute in Denison, Hospice Plus, especially Nicole Henderson, and the staff at Silver Leaf Assisted Living. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Boston Terrier Rescue of North Texas. Services will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2023. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am with services to follow at 11:00 am at American Funeral Service 4312 W. Crawford Street in Denison.