Thomas Newberry

Dr. Thomas Brent Newberry, age 73, of Fayetteville, Ark., passed away Thursday March 30, 2017. He was born Aug. 11, 1943 in Ogden, Utah, to Geraldine Ethel and John Thomas Newberry. Thomas was preceded in death by his mother and father; and two brothers; Robin and Tim. He is survived by his wife, Martha McKinney Newberry; daughter, Synthea Ford; sons, John Newberry, Brent Newberry, and Jacob Newberry; step-daughter, Katie Workman Burger; sisters, Heidi Palmer and husband Larry, and Kris Castillo; two grandchildren, Christianna and Caleb Ford, and many nieces and nephews. In high school, he competed in cross country running and wrestling. After he graduated high school, he served in the Army as a computer programmer. Upon his honorable discharge, Thomas furthered his education, graduating from the University of Arizona with a BS in Biology ('76), Kansas City University's College of Osteopathic Medicine with his Doctor of Osteopathy ('80), and completing his medical residency at the renowned Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry ('84). Thomas, called Tom or Newb by his friends, was a sensitive, accomplished, and respected psychiatrist. As a veteran, he devoted much of his professional life to caring for military veterans during his career at VA hospitals in Kansas, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas. In his private practice and hospital responsibilities, he treated hundreds of children, adolescents, and geriatric adults with compassion, wisdom, and love. He loved his colleagues and coworkers, and valued the contributions they made to his professional and personal life. Tom loved to travel, and travel he did. He stepped foot on every continent except Antarctica. With a group of other medical professionals, he was one of the first Americans to visit China in the 1970s. His adventures were the stuff of family legend, traveling across the continent of Africa in his 20s, throughout China in his 30s, and through the Middle East in his 60s. Cruises were also one of his favorite experiences, because they paired two of his loves, seeing new places and enjoying great food. Our beloved Tom loved being alive, and he pursued it with a contagious exuberance. He liked to surprise his friends, if only to see them laugh. And he was always true to the emotions he felt in the moment—best exemplified when he watched sports—but above all he was led in life by his deep, ringing love for others. His empathic spirit was evident to everyone who knew him. More than anything, Tom loved his children and his wife, Martha. He never went a day without talking about them with pride. We'll miss him for the rest of our lives. Visitation will be 5–7 p.m. Monday April 3, 2017 at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home. Funeral service will be 5 p.m. Tuesday in the chapel at Nelson-Berna Funeral. Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to http://localwoundedveteran.com/ or team.kidney.org. To place an online tribute visit www.nelsonberna.com.