Barney Newport

Barney Newport, age 78, a resident of Charleston, passed away Tuesday, September 19, 2006 in a local hospital. He was a member of the Charleston First Baptist Church. He was retired from Bowater after thirty years of service. He served on the Bradley County School Board for twenty-two years and had helped bring back football at Charleston School and was also very active in sports for the youth programs. He had played a big role in getting the new Walker Valley High School. He was a veteran of the United States Merchant Marines. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge # 484 of Charleston and was also a member of the OES of Calhoun. Mr. Newport was the son of the late Elsic and Josephine Arms Newport and was also preceded in death by two sisters: Flora Newport and Stella Newport; brothers: Ray Newport and Ralph Newport. He is survived by his wife, Geneva Newport of Charleston; children and spouses: Gary and Sylvia Newport of Stafford, VA, Larry and Janet Newport of Charleston, Caroline and David Geren of Charleston and Linda and Don Sizemore of Charleston; grandchildren: Julie and Josh Melton, Jay and Lori Newport, Caitlin Geren, Autumn Sizemore, Lisa Clements, Eric Newport, Kevin Newport and Sarah Newport; great-grandchildren: Tyler Davis, Alison Davis, Keller Melton, Hunter Newport, Jackie Newport, Tucker Powell, Gavin Haney and Brylee Clements; brother, Arthur Newport and sister, Mamie Newport both of Harriman; several nieces and nephews also survive. Funeral services will be conducted at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of Ralph Buckner Funeral with Reverend William Spencer officiating. A Masonic Service will follow the service on Wednesday evening. Interment will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Thursday at Sunset Memorial Gardens with the white dove release ceremony concluding the service. Warren Blankenship, Carl Colloms, Bill Ledford, Keith Beaty, Bob Beaty, Mike Turner, S.P. Jones, Buddy Linville and also past members of the Bradley County School Board and Bradley County Commission will serve as honorary pallbearers. His family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home prior to the service. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Charleston Building Fund, 338 Market Street, Charleston, Tennessee 37310.