George Newenhouse

George William Newenhouse, age 63 of Garden City, MO, departed this life Sunday, December 1, 2024 at the University of Kansas Medical Center after a short valiant battle with cancer.

George was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania on March 30, 1961 to Patricia Lee Arnold and William Harry Newenhouse. George graduated from Western Wayne High School in 1979 and joined the U.S. Army the same year. He was a member of his high school ski team and an avid runner which prepared him well for basic training in Fort Gordon, Georgia. There he excelled and was quickly promoted to E4, accepting a post at US Army Communications Command in Augsburg, Germany. During his service in Europe he attained security clearances and served as a cryptologic technician until his honorable discharge in January 1985 as a Specialist E5.

Following his service in the Army, George returned to Texas, USA where he pursued a career in telecommunications as a network engineer in the Sprint GTE control center. He was a star controller, a quick thinker and was recruited around 1986 to move to the consolidated Sprint Western Regional Control Center in Sacramento, California where he worked until around 1998.

When control centers were consolidated to Overland Park, Kansas, George re-located to nearby Peculiar, Missouri. He joked with his friends that he was moving to the Midwest to find a corn-raised country girl, and soon met the love of his life, Cindy Caruthers Newenhouse. They met in 2000, married in 2004, and were happily married for 20 years before his untimely passing. Most recently, George was a senior engineer and designed network routes between cities, states and countries for Cogent Communications.

George was a joyful person, loved life and lived it fully, riding horses, his motorcycle and playing the baby grand piano and his guitars. He was an amazing self-taught musician and played daily. He enjoyed working around the farm and could design and fix just about anything.

George was loved by so many people for his intelligence, ability to solve problems and his genuine care for others. He was well liked by colleagues, popular at work gatherings and known for his killer ping pong game. He loved his animals, especially his dogs Emma and Glory, and the care he provided for them was unmatched. George was a devoted husband to Cindy and took great pride in supporting her in all things, particularly her endeavors in the horse world, and the farm they bought and enjoyed together.

George leaves behind his father, William (Bill) Newenhouse, his brother John (Yen) Newenhouse (Philadelphia, PA), his sisters Michelle Browning (Olyphant, PA), Wendy Karger (near St. Cloud, MN) and Joy Ulmer (Hawley, PA) along with many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) and The American Legion (mylegion.org).

Cremation with a Celebration of Life Service will be held 3:00 p.m. Friday, December 20, 2024 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri. Following the service, there will be a celebration at Johnny’s Tavern on 119th Street in Overland Park, KS.

Visitation will be held 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday, December 20, 2024 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.