Malcolm Gray Newell Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January, 7, 2015, for Malcolm Gray Newell at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in Meridian. Dr. John Temple, Pastor of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, will be officiating the service. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, and the burial will be at Hickory Grove Cemetery near NAS Meridian. Mr. Newell, 87, passed away on Sunday, January 4, 2015, at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was the owner and operator of Malcolm G. Newell's Texaco Service Station for three decades. A lifetime Mason, and a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, Newell enjoyed farming, raising cattle, and riding horses. His immediate family consists of his niece, Laura Hyche, her husband Dwight, and their son, Walker, as well as his niece, Lela Tisdale, and her husband, David, who have a son and a daughter, Justin and Lindsey. He also has other numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his mother and father, William Emmett Newell and Lela Kittrell Newell, Malcolm was blessed to be a part of a loving Christian family which consisted of seven brothers and two sisters. All of his siblings have already gone on to be with the Lord: Herman, Altus, Elmo, E.T., Doyle, Mocell, Cluis, Christine Newell McKellar, and Miriam Delores "Patsy" Walker. Most Saturday mornings, one could find Mr. Newell and his brothers gathered around a breakfast table at the original Weidmann's Restaurant. Mr. Newell also considered Charles Brown as family. Charles faithfully stood by Mr. Newell's side in the service station business to help make it a success, and the two maintained a special bond that lasted a lifetime. A graduate of Meridian High School, and a lifelong member of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, Newell will be remembered as a strong Christian and Southern gentleman who loved being around people. He also had a strong desire to help anyone in need, and enjoyed telling anyone and everyone that they could simply call him "Uncle Mac." He loved a good meal, but he loved sharing it with someone else even more. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Pallbearers include Dwight and Walker Hyche, David Tisdale, Floyd Dozier, Jim Copeland, Charles Brown, Jerry Newell, and William Douglas McKellar. The family requests that memorials be made to Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, or any charity of your choice. Family and friends may sign the online guest book at robertbarhamffh.com.
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