{"id":42177,"date":"2026-05-07T11:18:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=42177"},"modified":"2026-05-08T10:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:47:26","slug":"magazine-notable-obituaries-spring-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/magazine-notable-obituaries-spring-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Notable Obituaries Spring 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

RAYMOND PERRY NEWSOM \u201965\u00a01943 \u2013 2025<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

RAYMOND PERRY NEWSOM, husband of Carol Capell Newsom, died\u00a0July 26, 2025, at age 82 in Greenville, South Carolina. A native\u00a0of Jacksonville, Florida, he\u00a0graduated from Alfred I. DuPont\u00a0High\u00a0School and\u00a0earned a B.A. from Furman University in 1965.\u00a0At Furman, Newsom was a member of the men\u2019s baseball team,\u00a0freshman\u00a0basketball team,\u00a0ROTC\u00a0and Kappa\u00a0Alpha\u00a0fraternity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He served as an officer in the United States Army during the\u00a0Vietnam War before beginning a career in business, including 10\u00a0years in management at Burlington Industries. In 1977, Newsom\u00a0joined MassMutual as a career agent and in 1983 founded Corporate\u00a0Benefits, Inc., a Greenville-based financial services firm serving\u00a0corporate clients nationwide. He sold the company to NFP in 2001\u00a0and remained president and principal until retiring in 2014.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Newsom was a devoted community member, serving as an elder at\u00a0Westminster Presbyterian Church and volunteering with\u00a0numerous\u00a0local organizations. He served on the Furman University Advisory\u00a0Board and as president and board member of the Furman Paladin\u00a0Club, and\u00a0was inducted into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame\u00a0in 2015.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Known for his generosity and mentorship, Newsom found joy in\u00a0family, friendship, Furman basketball, golf,\u00a0fishing\u00a0and long walks\u00a0with his dogs, Lady and Vinny.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ELLA CARROLL WHITEMAN\u00a02007 \u2013 2025<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

ELLA CARROLL WHITEMAN of Atlanta died Nov. 8, 2025, at age 18.\u00a0Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she was the beloved daughter of\u00a0Louis and Maura Whiteman and lived a life defined by compassion,\u00a0curiosity\u00a0and adventure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whiteman had a deep love for animals and was known for carrying\u00a0cat food with her while traveling, ready to help any stray she\u00a0encountered. Her adventurous spirit took her around the world,\u00a0from surfing in Ireland and cliff diving in the Azores to snorkeling\u00a0with sea turtles and sharks in the Caribbean. An accomplished\u00a0distance runner and basketball player, she completed multiple half\u00a0marathons and competed on her high school teams.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Service was central to Whiteman\u2019s life. She volunteered at the\u00a0Georgia Aquarium, supported residents at senior centers and\u00a0advocated for animal welfare causes. Her dedication earned her\u00a0three United States President\u2019s Volunteer Service Awards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time of her death, Whiteman was a student at Furman\u00a0University, where she was a member of the running club and actively\u00a0engaged in campus life. She is survived by her parents; grandparents\u00a0Anna Whiteman and Thomas and Ellen Seymour; and a large\u00a0extended family who will remember her kindness,\u00a0energy\u00a0and\u00a0generous heart.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

JAMES \u201cJIMMY\u201d MICHAEL NEY \u201964\u00a01943 \u2013 2025<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

JAMES \u201cJIMMY\u201d MICHAEL NEY \u201964, a philanthropist, attorney and\u00a0devoted Furman University\u00a0alumnus, died Nov. 17, 2025, at age 82.\u00a0An economics graduate, Ney was a member of the Furman football\u00a0team and later served on the Furman Board of Trustees, becoming\u00a0an emeritus trustee in 2022.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ney began his legal career as a law assistant to the Supreme Court\u00a0of Georgia before joining Alston & Bird in 1968. He later served\u00a0as special assistant attorney general for the State of Georgia and\u00a0special attorney general\u00a0for the State of Ohio. In 1984, he co-founded\u00a0Holt Ney\u00a0Zatcoff\u00a0& Wasserman LLP, where he practiced until his\u00a0retirement in 2020.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A tireless advocate for Furman, Ney served on the Alumni Board,\u00a0Annual Giving Council and Campaign Executive Committee. He and\u00a0his wife, Carol, co-chaired the Richard Furman Society and received\u00a0the\u00a0Bell Tower Award in 2006. In 2024, Ney was honored with the\u00a0Gordon L. Blackwell Alumni Service Award.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ney was a longtime member of the Order of the Paladin and\u00a0supported\u00a0numerous\u00a0Furman initiatives,\u00a0scholarships\u00a0and\u00a0athletic programs. Active in Mt. Bethel Church and the Cobb\u00a0Library Foundation, he leaves a legacy of leadership,\u00a0service\u00a0and generosity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RAYMOND PERRY NEWSOM \u201965\u00a01943 \u2013 2025\u00a0 RAYMOND PERRY NEWSOM, husband of Carol Capell Newsom, died\u00a0July 26, 2025, at age 82 in Greenville, South Carolina. A native\u00a0of Jacksonville, Florida, he\u00a0graduated from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,3528,1963,3526],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-class-notes-spring-2026","category-furman-magazine","category-spring-2026"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42177"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42336,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42177\/revisions\/42336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}