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Jeff Newton?
I was reading some of the Yahoo archives and came across this message as a reply to a pickup report:

Quote
Yahoo Message Number: 4441Hi gang!

My name is Jeff Newton, and I am the eldest son of Paul Newton, owner of Lazy Daze Mfg. I just wanted to say"Welcome to the Family"! Happy to hear that you made it safely home there. I have been all over the Sieera Mtn's where you were.....I can remember when I was 4 at Iris Meadows.......would like to hear back from you all sometime.
My Email adress is:

Very Sincerely,

Jeff Newton
Rig #1

His handle was "firstlazydazer" .  I'm curious as to what happened to Jeff as I haven't heard of him on any previous messages on the LDOF?

Linda
Linda B
Green 2021 RB
2022 Ford Maverick toad

 
Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #1
"I'm curious as to what happened to Jeff [Newton]..."

Jeff was present at the Golden Anniversary in Cheyenne, WY and died in his hotel room during that campout. A very sad event!   :'(
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #2
"I'm curious as to what happened to Jeff [Newton]..."

Jeff was present at the Golden Anniversary in Cheyenne, WY and died in his hotel room during that campout. A very sad event!  :'(

As I understand it, Jeff had flown into Cheyenne for a morning presentation the next day, along with Steve Newton, for the LD 50th Annniversay celebration .
Jeff died the night before night in his hotel room. I do not know the cause of death.

The next morning, I ran into Steve before the presentation event, that was held anyway, and he was not in a good mood. He did not want to be there and I had the feeling he wanted to be on the first plane home.
The presentation was a non-event for me, held in an agricultural display barn, the echos were so bad, I couldn't understand most of what was being said. Steve disappeared afterwards.
It didn't help to contribute to a festive feeling.

Art (older fossil) or Ron may have more accurate recollections. We were not active Caravan members them, instead, attending with the Yahoo group.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #3
Wow, what a shame.  It sounds as if Jeff would have been a good person to take on the reins after Paul or Steve.

As the song goes....only the good die young
Linda B
Green 2021 RB
2022 Ford Maverick toad

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #4
Don't remember hearing about this.  Do remember that Steve left abruptly though.  Perhaps as suggested it was kept quiet so as not to put a damper on the rally.

We had a really great time there.
2003 MB

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #5
Wow, what a shame.  It sounds as if Jeff would have been a good person to take on the reins after Paul or Steve.

I would assume that Jeff, if he had wanted, would have been involved with LD, being the son of the founder. It appears that his involvement didn't extend past owning a LD.
Except for his few posting here in the early 2000s, I had never heard his name mentioned during visits to the Mothership, where I meet Paul, Ed, and Steve several times in the 90s and early 2000s.

Once again, there may be more to this story.
Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #6
I would assume that Jeff, if he had wanted, would have been involved with LD, being the son of the founder. It appears that his involvement didn't extend past owning a LD.
Except for his few posting here in the early 2000s, I had never heard his name mentioned during visits to the Mothership, where I meet Paul, Ed, and Steve several times in the 90s and early 2000s.

In conversations with Steve, Jeff Newton came up a couple of times.  I got the impression that Steve did not have a close relationship with Jeff.  Apparently Jeff worked at the company for a while, but things just did not work out well.  I don't recall if this was before or after Paul died or even after Steve pretty much took over when Ed's health went downhill.

Art
Art and Barbara
Settled in Atterdag Village of Solvang
2015-2022 fulltime in a 2016 Tiffin Allegro Bus 37AP
2002-2015 2002 LD MB
Art's blog

Re: Jeff Newton?
Reply #7
We were at the Golden Anniversary rally in Cheyenne, too, with much the same recollection of not being able to hear much at Steve's presentation.    Yes, it was a sad event particularly for the family.   
We knew both Ed Newton and Paul Newton through business with L.D.   They both had families.   Paul's kids, as we heard it, didn't want to have anything to do with the day-to-day running of L. D.    Paul died first of melanoma.   Ed ran the company himself but, with time, needed more help and Steve moved from production into the office.   Then Ed died about 8 years ago?   Don't remember the date.   There was some sort of negotiation with Paul's family about the company's ownership.   Steve didn't want to deal with a bunch of relatives trying to run the company.  Understandable.   He bought Paul's family out, as a result, so Paul's kids don't have a financial stake in the company.
Family dynamics can be difficult.  One generation works well together, the next doesn't, and money is often the key.

JuliW
Minden, NV  
Juli W.
Former owner 1994 mid bath,  2006 26.5'rear bath