Walter Preston Newman III “Punt”, of Hartselle, Alabama died September 10, 2021, at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
Preston was born October 10, 1946 in Hartselle, Alabama to Walter P. “Dub” and Wilma Ruth Newman. He attended Morgan County High School in Hartselle, Alabama, where he was a three sport athlete. He walked on at The University of Alabama to play football and played his freshman year as a punter in 1965. He later received a football scholarship to Jacksonville State University as a punter. Preston was a three year letterman at Jacksonville and set JSU and Mid-South Conference punting records. He was voted the all Mid-South Conference Punter in 1970, graduating in 1971. Additionally, he was inducted into the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Preston spent his career In sales in Huntsville, AL. After retirement he moved to Ridgeland, MS to be near his son, Matthew Newman (Laura) and his grandchildren, Charlotte, Callie, and Annelise. Matt and his grandchildren were his greatest accomplishments and enjoyed spending time with them. There was no greater joy to Preston than going to Tuscaloosa and sharing the experience of Alabama football with his son and granddaughters.
He is survived by his son, Matthew Newman (Laura); stepchildren, Steve and Jennifer Waldrup; grandchildren, Charlotte, Callie, and Annelise Newman and his stepgrandchildren, Alex Satterfield, Sam and Lindsay Waldrup, Hayden Tisdale, and his ex-wife and lifelong friend, Debbie Newman. He was preceded in death by his father, Walter P Newman Jr. “Dub”; his mother, Wilma Ruth Newman; brother, Johnny Newman and wife, Patsy Newman.
A Remembrance of Life Celebration will be Friday, September 17, 2021, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Freight House Restaurant, 200 Railroad St. SW, Hartselle, AL 35640. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
