Lawrence "Pete" Newell

   Lawrence Joseph Newell, more commonly known as Pete Newell, passed peacefully July 1, 2024, surrounded by loved ones, at the St. Luke’s Hospital in Meridian, Idaho after battling heart failure the better part of the year. Pete was preceded in death by his brother Steve, father Stanton, and mother Eunice.

   Born March 13, 1950, to Stanton Wesley Newell and Eunice Ceilia Newell as the oldest of 6 boys (Pete, Mike, Jerry, Greg, Steve, Danny). He spent the majority of his life in Gem County, Idaho, but spent some time, before high school, living in Beaverton, Oregan. Upon his graduation from Emmett High School in 1968 Pete entered the workforce, following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as a logger in various forests around Idaho. It was during this time that Pete married Dolly Bedal and was blessed with two boys, Wes and Troy, from this union, describing the boys as the best thing to have happened in his life. Pete and Dolly divorced after a few years and Pete moved to Idaho Falls, where he worked running heavy machinery at INL. During this time, Pete had a brief marriage to Bonnie Davies. In 1991, Pete Newell moved back to Boise, Idaho and started ABC Taxi company with his friend, Joe Driscoll. Pete drove taxi for the next decade, until he decided he was ready for his next adventure in the early 2000s. Pete went on to own and operate Diamondback Excavation, LLC. In the last decade of his life, he freelanced in running heavy equipment, working in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, seeing parts of the US that most only see pictures of.

   During Pete Newell’s 74 years on Earth, he loved nothing more than the outdoors, and his family, and he would prefer to spend time combining the two. During the summer, when his sons would come to visit him, he would take them to the great outdoors and teach them how to fish and the wonders of camping. He would later recount these memories as his fondest. Pete would go on to share his love of the wilderness with his grandchildren, taking them to various camping and fishing sites around Western Idaho. Relationships were sacred to Pete, and this was not only evident through his love for his children and grandchildren, but during any social gatherings. Pete Newell was known to be the life of the party, and a genuinely fun person to be around and make conversation with. One conversation topic that came up often was his love for cars. Pete was a huge muscle car enthusiast. Pete owned two 1967 SS 396 Chevelles and one 1966 SS 396 Chevelle over his lifetime. Being patriotic, one was red, one was white, and one was blue.

   As we move forward from losing a beloved figure of the Newell family, we must remember to take heart, and move forward with the memories we have of him as he would not want us to reminisce on the sadness his death has brought us. Pete Newell led a fulfilling life and loved as he was loved. 

   A Celebration of Life will be held at the Wild Rose Park on Saturday, July 27, 2024, from 2:00 PM until Dusk. Wild Rose Park is located on Black Canyon Hwy below the Black Canyon Dam.
   Picnic style food and beverages will be served. Please bring a chair and your favorite story of Pete. We look forward to seeing you there.

Use this link to view Pete's Remember Page: https://my.gather.app/remember/pete-newell

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