==Background==
Newman was born in Red River County in northeast Texas to Thomas Newman and the former Veda Newman Scotti (1907–1995). While attending college in [[Dallas]], he met Peggy Jean Behelar (1931-2024), the daughter of William L. and Beulah Beheler.<ref name=peggyobit>{{cite web|url=https://obituaries.lmtonline.com/obituary/peggy-newman-1089622184|title=Peggy Newman obituary|publisher=''Laredo Morning Times''|date=April 23, 2024}}</ref> The couple wed in 1950 and during their fifty-eight year marriage had four children.<ref name=obit/>