Obituary of Francis X. Newell

Francis X. Newell, of Cherry Hill, formerly Maple Shade, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2022 at 64 years. Beloved father of Tara Newell; Cherished grandfather of Savannah Higman; Dear brother of Martin "Marty" (Regina) Newell, Marie Susan "Sue" Newell; Terrence "Terry" (Karen) Newell, Anna DeMarco, Collette Sheppard (Christopher), Jaqueline Newell and Daniel (Bonnie) Newell; Also survived by many caring nieces and nephews.

Predeceased by his parents, Martin P. Newell, Sr. and Marie Williams Newell. Born in Philadelphia, PA. He was born the 4^th child of eight and he was a twin. Fran grew up in Maple Shade and had many friends over the years.

Fran started working for the family automotive business when he was 15. He discovered a love of cars, especially muscle cars. In his young adult years, he bought a ’68 GTO and fully rebuilt it. He was proud of that car to this day. Later, he acquired a fully restored ’69 Camaro. You may have seen him or met him at one of the local car shows or cruising around town. He liked to go to the custard stand, get a sherbet, and enjoy talking to whoever he met while there. He recently had his Camaro up at the Cars on Broadway event in Maple Shade on August 18^th. He had such a great time and he was so surprised how many young kids were interested and asked so many questions about the car. People were drawn to him and his car and he loved talking to people about the cars they had in their lives. That night he said “Life is funny sometimes. These old cars have followed me my whole life. Now that I’m old, I’m blessed to have cool people  letting me keep them in their driveway. I need these cars as I get older. You need positive things when you get old and cranky.”

If you knew Fran, you knew he was a really funny guy. His sense of humor was a natural gift and he loved to make you laugh. He could come up with a perfect one liner for any situation. He actually pursued stand-up comedy at one point and was proud that he kept all his material clean with no foul language. One of Fran’s most recent goals was to get back up on that comedy stage one more time before he got too old. Sadly, that didn’t happen, but we’re sure he’s keeping the angels entertained up there now.

Fran was also a self-taught musician. He loved ‘80’s hair metal! He played drums and bass guitar in multiple bands. He coordinated the gigs for the bands as well. He was so proud to have opened for the band “Cinderella” back in the day. That was a pretty big deal.

Fran was a lover of adventure. At 16 he hitch-hiked to Florida with $1.26 in his pocket. He made it there and back safely. At one time, he had a boat and loved getting out on the water on his jet ski.  

His favorite roles were being a Dad and a Poppy. He loved his daughter and granddaughter with all his heart and soul. He also had a special place in his heart for his daughter’s half brother. Fran loved kids. He could gain the trust of a child almost immediately. He would get right down on the floor and play with them and they just loved him. He recently said “I’m a big softy when it comes to children. I believe when you love a child, it comes right back at you and makes you feel good about yourself. It’s a win-win.”

He was truly one in a million. A kinder and sweeter soul you will never meet. The last couple of years were very good for him. He was taking care of himself, going to the gym. He was happy. He felt blessed. He was loved, and the best part is that he knew it.

Relatives & friends are invited to the Visitation & Funeral on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Falco Caruso & Leonard Funeral Home, 6600 Browning Road in Pennsauken. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM at the Church of St. Stephen, 6306 Browning Road in Pennsauken. Burial of cremains will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Starting Point Inc of New Jersey, 215 Highland Ave #C Haddon Twp., NJ 08108.