Newmire, Eugene A.

Eugene A. Newmire, 87, of Washington, formerly of Iowa City, died Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, at Mercy Iowa City. A gathering for family and friends to remember Eugene's life will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Following this time cremation services will take place with private family graveside services at Memory Gardens, where military honors will be provided.

Memorial donations can be made in his memory to Washington County Hospice or Iowa City Care & Rehabilitation Center.

Online condolences may be sent for his family through the Web at

Eugene was born Aug. 2, 1922, in Tiffin, Iowa, the son of Charles and Della (Smith) Newmire. During World War II, Eugene served his country in the United States Army Air Corps. He married Mary Ann Griffith on Aug. 29, 1949, in Des Moines. For over 45 years he worked for the University of Iowa as a pipe fitter, retiring in 1985. In retirement he and his wife, Mary Ann, moved to Branson, Mo., where they lived until returning to this area in 1999, residing in Washington. He was a man who could do anything, from carpentry to fixing old cars, a jack-of-all-trades, master of none! He loved to travel with his wife and family, camp and fish; he enjoyed people, making new friends wherever he was.

His family includes four sons, Eugene Newmire (Linda) of Iowa City, Richard Newmire of Coralville, Charles Newmire of Iowa City and Timothy Newmire of West Branch; three grandsons, Jon, Daniel and Chad; sister, Dolores Streffeler of Prole, Iowa; and sisters-in-law, Charlotte Griffith of Iowa City and Evelyn Newmire of Cedar Rapids.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Mary Ann; and his brother, Robert Newmire.

As Eugene would say, “That's the way the mop flops.”