Don Leroy Newbill

June 21, 1933 – October 6, 2025

Don Leroy Newbill was born on June 21, 1933, to Charles J. and E. Gladys (Garrison) Newbill. He grew up in Adrian, Oregon, where he graduated from Adrian High School in 1950. A gifted athlete, Don was a pitcher on the baseball team and quarterback for Adrian's state championship football team.

After high school, Don attended Boise Junior College, where he continued pitching before entering the U.S. Air Force for flight training in Bainbridge, Georgia. After earning his wings, he returned home to complete his degree at the College of Idaho, where he again took the mound for the baseball team—all while flying fighter jets for the Idaho Air National Guard.

Any time someone mentioned Sawtooth Lake in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Don would quickly announce it was the prettiest lake from the air—and yes, he flew over all of them. That story usually led to tales of flying the state governor between "events," circling Sawtooth Lake for everyone to admire, only to look back from the C-45 cockpit (or the C-47 for larger groups) and find the governor sound asleep.

Don also logged the final flight of the Scorpion F-89B (49-2457)—the very aircraft now on display at Lakeview Park in Nampa, Idaho.

During his time at the College of Idaho, Don met the love of his life, Marilyn Hopper, whom he married in 1956. Between water skiing on summer evenings, advanced flight training in Texas, and flying missions with the Air Guard, Don and Marilyn built their family—welcoming Wayne, Alan, Brian, and Kara. Don retired from flying, with a rank of Major, in 1974 when his "evening farming project" grew into a full family farming operation. Never one to sit still, he later branched out into the grocery business, co-owning stores in Nampa, Kuna, and Moab for about 20 years.

Don and Marilyn were avid College of Idaho basketball fans. Late in 2024, Don was determined to live long enough to see one more game, practicing stairs at home to ensure he could make it to his lifetime seats in the Yotes gym. He rallied and made every home game, watching the Yotes dominate and win a national championship.

Don's passion for fishing began early. At age 11, he bought his first fly-tying kit from Staley Springs Resort at Henry's Lake, and that hobby became a lifelong art. Well into his 90s he was still tying his signature "Big Brown Special" on a #24 hook. Fishing the Owyhee River for nearly 90 years—maybe missing a year or two during the war and flight training—became both his pastime and his legacy. Don's grandfather had a homestead on the Owyhee River and he claims to have altered the flow of the channel by the number of rocks he threw from across the river. That activity likely led to the 95 mph fastball he served up in college and the Pittsburg Pirates summer training camp.

In keeping with the code of his favorite coffee shop, everything in this story is self-certified to be at least 10% true.

Don was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn, in 2012; two grandchildren; and most of his pilot and fishing buddies. He is survived by his children Wayne (Jeanne), Alan (Eve), Brian (Dodi), and Kara (Mike) Terrell; 17 (give or take) grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren—enough for a five-generation photo.

What a story. Good job, Pa.