Newton died on September 15, 2005, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was born in Santa Barbara, CA, February 1954 and his firefighting career began in the Santa Ynez Valley area where he lived for many years. He began as a volunteer for the Buelton Fire Department before he joined the U.S. Forest Service and later the Bureau of Land Management. He was a member of the Los Prietos Hotshots and later the Fulton Hotshots as a firefighter, a smoke jumper and a conservation specialist. Recently, he moved to Grass Valley, CA, and established his own business, Firesafe Solutions, which contracted throughout the Nevada County area.

He jumped at Fairbanks 1985-86.