WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016
LOCAL NEWS
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
+HUPLVWRQPDQGLHVDIWHU¿JKW
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
A memorial service
will be held today for a
Hermiston man who died
late Friday night from in-
juries sustained in a ¿ght
that took place north of
Hermiston on Jan. 20.
David Wayne Newton,
53, died at Sacred Heart
Medical Center in Spo-
kane at 10:50 p.m. Friday
night after being taken off
life support the night be-
fore.
According to the Uma-
tilla County Sheriff’s Of-
¿ce, witnesses reported
that Newton sustained a
head injury during a phys-
ical altercation with Lloyd
Allan Terpening, 54, from
Irrigon, at a commercial
property on 81252 Hwy
395 Wednesday night.
Both men were reported-
ly living on the property
while helping clean it out.
Undersheriff Jim Lit-
tle¿eld said Monday that
Terpening had been ques-
tioned and was scheduled
to take a polygraph test but
had not been arrested and
no charges had been ¿led.
“After the entire in-
vestigation is complete
we will turn it over to the
district attorney’s of¿ce,”
he said, noting that inves-
tigating such cases takes
EO FILE PHOTO
David Newton sits with his wife, Terina, during a interview in
Oct., 2009, at their home in Hermiston.
think her son would want
his friend to go to prison.
Newton was one of
those people who “nev-
er knew a stranger,” she
said. She said he took
great pride in his skill as
a mechanic, and there
were people in town who
wouldn’t let anyone but
him touch their motorcy-
cle.
“He was good at what
he did, and he was proud
of that,” she said.
Newton was born in
Southern California and
spent time there as a child
before moving to Herm-
iston in time to play foot-
ball for Hermiston High
School. After graduation
he joined the Navy and
time and is “not always
cut and dried.”
Hilda White, Newton’s
mother, said Terpening,
who goes by Allan, was a
close friend of Newton’s.
When her son was out of
cellphone minutes she
used to call Terpening be-
cause she knew they were
probably together.
“This
may
sound
strange to you, but I’m not
angry with Allan because
he has a long road to go,”
she said.
White said the fact that
he would have to live with
the guilt of whatever hap-
pened that night, and the
loss of his best friend,
seemed enough punish-
ment to her and she didn’t
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL
Members of the Oregon State Police forensics unit examine
a truck outside of a commercial business on Highway 395
north of Hermiston, where an alleged assault took place.
spent a few years stationed
in Norfolk, Virgina.
“He was a good-look-
ing guy in that uniform,”
White remembered.
He had four children,
who White said adored
him. She said he had been
separated from his wife
Terina Newton for the last
four years but they were
still on amicable terms
with each other and had
never ¿led for divorce. In
2009 the couple agreed to
be interviewed by the East
Oregonian about their
journey together in over-
coming a history of drug
abuse and domestic vio-
lence.
“Dave was a good guy,
he really was,” White said.
“He had his faults but he
was a good guy.”
In 2014 Newton was in
the news again after driv-
ing Daniel Dechand, then
25, to the hospital after
Dechand was shot in the
chest by Timothy Kelly in
Newton’s vehicle. A grand
jury later ruled the inci-
dent was self-defense.
White said she knew
Newton did his best to try
to save Dechand, but he
never wanted to talk about
what happened that day.
Newton was the spit-
ting image of his late
grandfather, she said, and
had the same strong sense
of humor.
“I miss his laugh. He
had a very hearty laugh,”
she said.
She said the family,
especially Newton’s chil-
dren, have had a dif¿cult
time in the days since
Newton was rushed to
the hospital by his daugh-
ter Shavon Newton, who
White said was present
when her father was in-
jured. White said her son
Jeff picked her up that
night and they rushed to
the hospital in Spokane
at 4 a.m. Based on the ex-
tent of brain damage he
had suffered the family
made the decision to take
him off of life support on
Thursday evening, and he
died late Friday night.
A celebration of life
with military honors will
be held today at 11 a.m.
at Burns Mortuary chapel
in Hermiston. A gathering
for family and friends will
follow at 1365 S. High-
way 395, Hermiston.
White said Newton did
not have life insurance,
and friends of the family
have created a GoFundMe
account at www.gofund-
me.com/cykzhg6s to help
cover cremation expenses.
Friends, family, colleagues remember Irrigon councilwoman
Sorenson died of
heart failure Jan. 18
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Staff Writer
Irrigon councilwoman
Christine Sorenson died
Jan. 18 of congenital heart
failure. She was 72.
“She worked right up to
her dying day,” said Phyllis
Danielson, a friend of So-
renson’s who served with
her in the Irrigon Chamber
of Commerce board. “She
was absolutely committed.”
Sorenson ¿rst came to
Irrigon with her husband,
Andrew, in 1994. They
used to make yearly trips
to visit friends in town, and
especially enMoyed ¿shing
on the Columbia River.
For years, Sorenson
owned a storage company on
Highway 730 and became ac-
tive with the chamber, where
she and Danielson ¿rst met.
Danielson, who owns Stokes
Landing Bed & Breakfast,
said she was struck by Soren-
son’s positivity and dedica-
tion to the community.
“Christina was the one
who could be counted on
to hold our feet to the ¿re,”
Danielson said. “She nev-
er settled for less than the
best. You had to do it right,
and you had to do it well.”
When the chamber near-
ly folded in 2013, Daniel-
son and Sorenson were part
of the effort to rally support
and reform the organiza-
tion’s board of directors.
Along with Julie Dick and
Barb Huwe, the four wom-
en helped get the group
back on its feet, erasing
$1,500 in previous debt.
Sorenson was always proud
of that accomplishment,
Danielson said.
“She was absolutely a
key player in that,” Daniel-
son said.
Sorenson also served
on the Irrigon City Coun-
cil and had been appointed
mayor pro tem before she
died. The council met on
Tuesday, Jan. 19 — one
day after Sorenson’s death
— and held a moment of
silence before proceeding
with their agenda. Mayor
Sam Heath said it was a
dif¿cult night for everyone.
“Everybody’s
hearts
were really heavy,” she
said. “There was a point
where I thought I would
have to excuse myself.”
Heath said the council
will appoint a new mayor
pro tem at February’s meet-
ing. The city charter states a
vacant council seat will be
¿lled by appointment.
Sorenson was well-liked
and a pillar of the commu-
nity, Heath said.
Sorenson graduated magna
cum laude with a degree
in education from Western
Connecticut State Universi-
ty. She met and married her
second husband, Andrew,
in 1990 while living in Boi-
se. They later came to Irri-
gon to be closer to friends
and ¿shing.
“Her vision was to see
this town move forward,
and make it the best little
place for people to want to
come live,” she said. “She
kept her community ¿rst ...
She was always thinking
about the people.”
The oldest daughter of
a U.S. Marines lieutenant,
Andrew Sorenson said
his wife’s interests revolved
around helping people in
town. Christine’s Storage
became a place for people to
come for support, whether
they were customers or not.
“I don’t know how to
explain it. She was basical-
ly the shoulder to lean on if
someone had a problem,”
he said. “She was always
helping, if she could. She
was a go-to in this town.”
Sorenson raised two
sons, Robert and Chris
Westlake, from her ¿rst
marriage. Chris, her young-
est, works as a senior proj-
ect superintendent for a
construction company in
Connecticut. But he said
his mom’s heart was always
in the West.
“She really loved the
outdoors, and freedom as-
sociated with the West,”
Westlake said.
A celebration of life for
Sorenson was held Satur-
day at Burns Mortuary in
Hermiston, followed by a
gathering at Stokes Land-
ing Senior Center in Irri-
gon. Westlake said it was
great to see the outpouring
of support from the com-
munity.
“She was the best. It’s
really hard to sum it up
more than that,” he said.
“She wanted the best for
us, and wanted nothing less
than our best. It did us well
in our lives.”
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CHRIS WESTLAKE
Christine Sorenson, who served on the Irrigon City Council
and with the Irrigon Chamber of Commerce, died on Jan. 18.
Friends and colleagues described Sorenson as a pillar of the
community.
Fully Digital
Enya 3 Series Hearing Aid
Now $
995
Only
STK# 16T071. MSRP $19,804. $18,541 AFTER $1,000 TFS REBATE. GFU $12,675. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES PER YEAR LEASE = $245 MO PLUS TTD AND ON
APPROVED CREDIT.
• Enhances Speech
• Reduces Noise
Call 541-276-3155
Ruud’s Hearing Aid Service
Sale price valid on the Resound Enya 3 series. Limit two at the
promotional price. No other offers or discounts apply. Discount
does not apply to prior sales. Offer expires January 29, 2016.
STK# 16T032. MSRP $24,130. SALE PRICE $22,639 AFTER $1,250 TFS REBATE. GFU $14,468. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES
PER YEAR LEASE = $268 MO PLUS TTD AND ON APPROVED CREDIT.
STUDENT
OF THE
WEEK
Ryan Hahn
STK# 16T191. MSRP $34,139. GFU $24,580. 36 MO LEASE/12000 MILES PER YEAR LEASE = $399 MO PLUS TTD AND ON APPROVED CREDIT.
A RLINGTON H IGH S CHOOL
Ryan works hard and helps other students by
encouraging them to do well. He is out for multiple
sports and involved in many activities both in and out of
school. Ryan works locally for the Arlington Child Care
Center and really likes his job and the children. Ryan is
Senior class president and successful in his college prep
classes. He enjoys playing video games and building
stuff. Ryan is headed for college somewhere in Oregon
fall of 2016 with a goal to study career opportunities
Proudly Sponsored by
Coffee freshly roasted in your neck of the woods.
www.HomeTownCoffeeRoasters.com
STK# 15T435. MSRP $41,180.
FOR ALL OFFERS: NO SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED. ON APPROVED CREDIT. A DOCUMENTARY SERVICE FEE OF $150 MAY BE ADDED TO VEHICLE PRICE OR CAPITALIZED COST. DOES NOT INCLUDE TAXES, LICENSE, TITLE,
PROCESSING FEES, INSURANCE AND DEALER CHARGES. SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. OFFERS VALID THROUGH 1-31-16.