Albert W. Newell

Albert W. Newell passed away peacefully on June 9th in Yucaipa. He was 97 years old.
Born in Redlands, California on June 30, 1922, Al lived in Redlands until the late 1970s, when he and his wife Dorothy relocated to Yucaipa. Al and Dorothy were married in 1943 and had been married for 69 years at the time of her passing in 2013.
He was a life-long member of First United Methodist Church in Redlands and was proud of the fact that he started attending the church even before he was born.
Al attended McKinley Elementary School, Redlands Junior High School and graduated from Redlands High School in 1940. Upon graduation, he attended San Bernardino Valley College.
In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he earned his "wings". He was stationed in the South Pacific and flew several different airplanes. His most frequent "ride" was the famous Douglas Dauntless, in which he patrolled the waters looking for enemy submarines. He left the Navy in 1945.
Upon his return to Redlands, he began to hone his horticultural skills by providing gardening services to local residents. Al worked at many local nurseries over the years: including Wishing Well Nursery (Riverside), Dangermonds Nursery (Redlands) and the Garden Departments at Angels (San Bernardino) and Sages (Redlands). In the late 1940s, Al opened his first nursery (Newell Nursery), located on Redlands Blvd. in Redlands. He provided plant material and expert gardening advice from this location until the early 1960s, when the business was closed. In 1975, he purchased the former Bliss Nursery in Yucaipa and renamed it Newell Nurseries. Al worked continuously from this location until the business was sold in 2012.
Plant knowledge was not Als only talent. He was well-known in the community for his beautiful tenor voice which he shared often in the choir at First United Methodist Church and at weddings, funerals and anniversary celebrations. During the 1960s and 1970s, he participated in many Gilbert & Sullivan operettas staged at the Redlands Bowl. He always played the comedic lead: Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty in H.M.S. Pinafore, Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance and Ko-Ko, The Lord High Executioner of Titipu in The Mikado, to name a few.
Redlands Great Y Circus was another of Als joys. He entertained many over the years with his antics as part of the circus amazing troupe of clowns.
Al is survived by his daughters Melody Funk of Redlands, CA and Kelley McQueen of Poppet Flats, CA; Grandchildren Cassandra Funk of Arcata, CA, Aaron Funk of Los Angeles, CA and Jessica Funk of Yucaipa, CA; Five Great-Grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Service will take place at First United Methodist Church, 1 E. Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA when the church is once again able to host large gatherings.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association or the First United Methodist Church of Redlands.