James Newton "Newt" Kerr died suddenly, early on the morning of January 14, 2015.

He was preceded in death by his father David Mingrim Kerr in 1953, and mother Inez Osborne Kerr in 2007.

He was born at the Breko Hospital in Ada Oklahoma on March 29, 1945. He was the first person in the Kerr family to be born in a hospital. Known as Newt, he was named after his great grandfathers, Ezekiel Newton Osborne, and James Madison Jones. In 1948, as a 3 year old, he moved with his mother and sister to Chualar. He graduated from King City High School in 1963, and joined the Army shortly thereafter. He lived in Gilroy for a time, working for Rossi's Auto Parts. He then moved to Greenfield and lived there for many years, while working for King City Auto Parts. During these years he was an avid photographer. He eventually moved to King City where he lived with his mother until her passing. The last many years of his working career were with the Greenfield Union School District, where he was a Custodial Engineer until he retired. He was a shop steward for the California State Employees Association while he worked for the Greenfield Union School District. He had a lifelong love of cars and hot rods, and he loved barbequing.

He is survived by his children Kelly Jeffers (Doug), Jacob Kerr and Joseph Kerr; grandchildren Ty and Cole Jeffers, and Aiden Kerr; his sister Kathryn Rice (Sam),and nephew Perry Rice and niece Stacey Rice-Westphal, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A Celebration of His Life will be held at Eddington Funeral Services, 333 San Antonio Dr., King City, on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at noon. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Newt's memory be made to the Mee Memorial Hospital Foundation, 300 Canal St., King City, CA 93930.