RICHARD R. NEWMAN
Despite enduring his cancer for over 17 years, Rich Newman of Fort Dodge passed away at his home surrounded by his family on February 9th at the age of 60.
Rich was born on May 5, 1960 in Clarion to Stanley and Beverly Newman. His first home was a farm in rural Woolstock with four big brothers. The family moved to the Mason City area in 1961, and then to Fort Dodge in 1969. He graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1978 and Iowa Central Community College in 1980. He married Michele (Flannery) Newman in 1980. Over the following decade, Rich and Michele welcomed four children into their home. At the same time, he began his 29-year career with the Fort Dodge Fire Department and founded Newman Construction, which he operated for over 35 years. Over the years, Rich built four homes for his family from the ground up. In recent years, he expanded his operations to include NewCo Storage. To stay busy after retiring from firefighting, Rich began to drive a school