Richard William Newhouse

Richard William Newhouse was born on April 4, 1934, in Petersburg, WV.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Oliver and Ida Newhouse of Petersburg, WV., as well as his eldest daughter, Debra L. Newhouse and only son, Richard W. Newhouse II.

Richard is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Maria Hortencia Newhouse; his daughters, Brenda K. Cepeda, Jacqueline Newhouse Arias, Hazel M. Newhouse and Lorraine Newhouse as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

A devout Catholic, Richard was a member of the Knights of Columbus and served as an usher for many years at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. Most recently, he served at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fountain Valley, CA.

Our dad was “A Jack of all Trades, and a Master of None”.  He served his country in the Air Force as a Radar Technician during the Korean War.  He also worked for the El Paso Gas Company, was a welder at Standard Press Steel, and worked as a Meter Prover for Chevron for over 23 years.

Richard was a passionate football fanatic. He was an avid supporter of the West Virginia Mountaineers and, more importantly, the Dallas Cowboys. Watching football games during the season was a weekly event.  He would jokingly refer to Fullback, Robert Newhouse (#44), as his cousin.   He also enjoyed watching his favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers, because it reminded him of his high school days.

Our dad was always optimistic and had a great sense of humor.  As children, when we cried, he would make the sound of an ambulance or police car and tell us that is what we sounded like…. It would make us laugh and stop the crying.

He had many sayings that he used while we were in school such as:

“Buy them books and buy them books, and all they do is eat the covers”.  (Apparently, we didn’t read them?)

“You can do anything; you have the brain and that other is an inanimate object.” and

“You have more problems than a math book.”

Our dad was also a great handyman. Occasionally, when we offered to assist him with one of his many projects, he would usually laugh and say, “Yes, stay out of my way,” (mostly because it was unsafe)!  However, he would always explain what he was doing.   He taught us how to fix electrical outlets, how to check and change the oil in our cars and other types of auto repairs.

Our dad taught us what he considered to be the important things in life: not being afraid to work hard, being kind, helping others, and most importantly, self-sufficiency.  Although he was a mostly a quiet man, he was fair and respected by all that knew him.  He will forever be loved and deeply missed.

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