June 15, 1945 - October 28, 2016

Gunter Elwood Newsom, a loving and generous father and friend, died on 28 October 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia after a brief hospitalization. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama on 15 June 1945, the son of Theo Elmore Newsom and Sledge Tatum Newsom. He spent his childhood in Old Cloverdale in Montgomery, graduating from Sidney Lanier High School and the University of Alabama. Gunter served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret in Vietnam then returned to Montgomery where his precious daughter was born. The family moved to the Atlanta area where Gunter worked as a city manager before taking a position in satellite communications services. Gunter was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Elizabeth "Libby" Mohr. He is survived by his daughter, Heather N. Leonard (James "Jim") of Birmingham; brother, Hamlet T. Newsom (Dianne) of Dallas, Texas; twin sister, Theo N. Greene of Birmingham; and seven nieces and nephews. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the local animal shelter, the Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic http://alspay.org/ or a charity of choice.

Published in The Birmingham News on Nov. 2, 2016.