GEOFF NEWMAN R.I.P.

I’m not often affected deeply by the passing of a friend, but this one came unexpectedly and out of the blue. My dear friend Geoff Newman was one of the most competitive people I’ve known, but in a good way. He was always trying to improve himself. A nature cultivated by his father and his surroundings, much like myself.

While attending his memorial service tonight, I was reunited with many friends who shared time with Geoff in mutual respect. There was an article that I wrote and photographed with Geoff and his Porsche race car that was published in 2012. I was honored to see those spreads across a wall at his memorial.

Geoff was an auto racing competitor, along with myself and our mutual co-driver Jeff Barstow over many years. We three went through a lot together attempting to become the best at navigating a modified Porsche 911 through a sea of cones against the clock. None of us became a national champion, although we all became regional champions in PCA and SCCA Solo 2.

My heart goes out to his family, wife Doreen, daughters Shelby and Kady, and granddaughter Piper. Tonight was one of the more moving experiences in my life.