Michael Newton

Mike Newton, known worldwide as a legend in Forestry, one of the oldest and most beloved teachers at Oregon State University and loved community member has gone to be with his Heavenly Father and wife, Jane on August 30th, 2022, surrounded by family after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He never lost his sweetness. Mike was born October 24th,1932 in Hartford, Connecticut to Margaret Young Newton and David Newton. Margaret was a Vassar graduate and David a graduate of Princeton. Mike was the youngest of four siblings. The family purchased a 200 year old farm in West Townsend, VT, where they proceeded to create a “Working Boys Prep School”. Mike grew up on this farm, speaking French and Latin, milking cows and logging with horses. They cut ice chunks from Burbee’s Pond for their icehouse where they stored their food for the year. He learned to work hard caring for animals and studying to meet the high expectations of his rigorous parents. The “boys” would cross country ski for miles to go to a square dance in the winter. When Mike was 14, he went to Loomis Chaffe Prep School for Boys. He then went to University of Vermont at age 16, where he majored in Dairy Science with a minor in Forestry and played on the UVM Football Team. He was “dirt poor,” and did odd jobs including gun smithing to make ends meet for college. Mike’s sister, Mary, had a roommate at nursing school named, Jane. A romance developed and they were soon married there on the farm. Mike was in ROTC, then joined the US Army, where he served at Fort Riley, Kansas, where his son Dan was born, then stationed in Germany on the Russian border. In the Army he was an explosive expert and also taught marksmanship on the range. He served two years, and then arrived in Corvallis in 1957 to begin his master’s degree in Botany and Forest Ecology, graduating with a Ph.D. He worked two jobs to support his growing family, bought a house for $3500 and remodeled it while studying. His research was primarily in weed science and silviculture. Mike became a professor at OSU Dept. of Forestry where he taught and did research from 1959 until 1999 when he retired. He published over 400 papers on Forest Science, taught 67+ Graduate students from 11 countries and will be remembered for his unconventional teaching techniques. He was known as a “dirt forester” who would spend more time in the field with hands on teaching, critical thinking and humor. He was known for his strength, a wonderful mentor, loved to dance, was hospitable, kind and a good father and husband. He loved working on his “stump ranch” in Eddyville rehabbing it into a beautiful forest. If you would listen… he would teach and make you think. Mike could fix anything with ingenuity. He will be greatly missed and remembered by all who knew him, with much love. Our special thanks and love to each of the caregivers who lovingly took care of Mike for the last four and a half years and allowed him the joy of being at home until the end. We could not have done this without you. Our special thanks to Mike’s many friends who continued to visit and brighten our lives and to Samaritan Evergreen Hospice. Mike is preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Jane Webster Newton, his parents, Margaret and David Newton, siblings, John Newton, Marg Mechanic and Mary Western, daughter, Melanie Newton and Grandson, Andy Pederson. He is survived by his Newton children, Dan and (Kathy), children and great grandchildren, Linda & (Mike), and children, Tom and (April) and children. Celebration of Life will be Saturday, October 29th, 2022 at 11:00 am at the First Presbyterian Church of Corvallis, Dennis Hall: 114 SW 8th St. Corvallis, OR. Memorials are welcome to Oregon Small Woodland Association or Community Outreach, Inc. of Corvallis.

Michael Newton

October 24, 1932 - August 30, 2022