Your Seven Day Forecast

2022-6-17

June 6, 1944 - June 15, 2022

Services

2 p.m. Saturday, June 18 at

Zion Baptist Church

974 Zion Church Road

Skippers, Virginia

Mr. Donald Lee Newsome, 78, of Emporia, passed away Wednesday, June 15, 2022. He was the son of the late Salem Irvin Newsome and Lucy Williams Newsome. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Joanne Newsome and six of his brothers, William Irvin Newsome, George Albert Newsome, Oliver Eugene Newsome, John Newsome, Robert Newsome, Calvin “Spot” Newsome and his beloved canine companions, “Katie,” “Champ” and “Zoey.”

Mr. Newsome was a long-time building contractor in Emporia and the surrounding area. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam Era and was a member of Zion Baptist Church where he served as deacon.

Donald Lee is survived by his wife, Marion Johnson Newsome; three sons, Donald Lee Newsome, Jr. (Sandra), Donald Wayne Newsome (Jill) and William Salem Newsome (Lisa); grandchildren, Melissa Baird (Joey), Donald Lee Newsome, III, Trace Newsome, Taylor Newsome and Grayson Newsome; great-grandchildren, Noah Newsome, Weston Baird, Parker Baird, Grace Baird and Jordan Baird; three brothers, Richard Newsome (Starla), Frankie Newsome (Linda) and James “Boo-Boo” Newsome (Ruth) and numerous nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held with interment to follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall immediately following the graveside committal service.

Thursday evening (June 16) state police were called to investigate a single vehicle crash on Route 35 (Jerusalem Plank Road), south of Route 626 (Neblett Mill Road).

Preliminary investigations reveal that at approximately 10:28 PM, the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord, Jonathan L. Myrick, was traveling southbound on Route 35 at a high rate of speed. Myrick lost control of the vehicle, ran off the roadway, overcorrected, causing the vehicle to run off the road and overturned several times, landing in a ditch. Myrick died upon impact. It is unknown at this time if alcohol was a contributing factor. Myrick was wearing his safety belt at the time of the crash. 

Next of kin has been made for the deceased; 37 year old Jonathan Lee Myrick of the 29000 block of Delaware Road, Franklin, Virginia.