Early Newton

Early Eugene Newton "Junior" passed away at home on May 4, 2025 at the age of 87 after a long and courageous battle with kidney disease. He was born and has lived in Raleigh, North Carolina all of his life and graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1955.

Early is survived by his loving and devoted partner, Anna Smith; his youngest sister, Brenda Faye Newton; and his two daughters, Elizabeth Newton Gregory and her husband Randall J Gregory, and Kimberly Newton Waerness. Early was blessed with four wonderful grandchildren, Steven Tyler Gregory, Michael Ryan Gregory, Morgan Faye Waerness, and McKenna Kydd Waerness; and two adorable great-grandchildren, Wyatt Earl Waerness and Ada Elizabeth Gregory.

Early was preceded in death by his loving wife of 46 years, Faye Clifton Newton; his younger brothers, James William Newton and Ira Brantley Newton; and his older sisters, Barbara Jean Newton and Jackie Newton Youngkin.

Early grew up working at Newton's Grocery, the family's business on Peace Street, with his parents and siblings. He continued to run this business with his younger brother, James William Newton, until it closed. Early worked extremely long hours running Newton's but always found time to take his daughters horseback riding on the weekends - favorite memories include trail rides around Lake Johnson at MacNair's Farm. Early's family continued to enjoy horses when their daughters were in their teenage years and participated in horse shows at the NC State Fair grounds.

In 1985, Early and Faye moved from Raleigh to Fuquay-Varina, fulfilling their dream of buying property outside of Raleigh and building a house and barn with plenty of open space for horses and dogs. They were both lifelong animal lovers and rescued many dogs over the years, giving them a beautiful place to run and play and lots of love. They also had several beloved horses - Sparky, Zym, Lu Lu, Hot Rod, and Pretty Boy. Early also enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren - favorite activities were riding horses in the ring, fishing in the pond, riding the tractor, and playing with the dogs.

After his business closed in 2000, Early worked for a longtime friend, John Hightower, driving a container truck, moving offices and cleaning out houses. Early loved to stay busy and enjoyed meeting and being around others, so this job, late in his career, gave him an opportunity to do both. He especially enjoyed working with his dearest friend, Ron Boardwell, who he thought the world of.

A visitation for family and friends will be held Saturday, June 7 from 3-5 pm at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home at 831 Wake Forest Rd.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to The Wake County Animal Center - 820 Beacon Lake Drive in Raleigh or SPCA of Wake County.