Columbia attorney Brian DeQuincey Newman remembered for generosity, calm at funeral

Brian DeQuincy Newman was a big man. It was one of the first things someone would notice about the young attorney.

“We always made him stand in the back (of photos) because he was a whole head taller than everybody else,” remembered former Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.

But despite his height, he never felt the need to make others around him feel small, Benjamin said.

Daisy Lundy Lovelace remembered Newman the same way, when he befriended her on her first day at a new school.

“In his usual and generous way, Brian welcomed me,” said Lovelace, one of Brian’s longtime childhood friends.

Newman died from a cardiac event Jan. 3 at the age of 40. He was remembered Monday during a funeral service at West Columbia’s Brookland Baptist Church.

Newman was elected to Columbia City Council in 2010, becoming the youngest person to be elected to the council. He served downtown’s district 2 and is said to have always been the calmest, most reasonable voice at the table.

Columbia luminaries including attorney Bakari Sellers, Benjamin and Councilman Rev. Ed McDowell were in attendance Monday, as were hundreds of other mourners.

Tissues dabbed at tear-stained faces as mourners found their seats in the sprawling sanctuary. But there was joy, too. Friends found each other in handshakes and hugs, gathered together to remember Newman’s life.

All who spoke Monday shared anecdotes about Newman’s charisma and generosity.

“As kids, Brian was playing chess while the rest of us were playing checkers,” Lovelace said.

Newman attended Morehouse College in Atlanta on a full academic scholarship before returning to South Carolina to attend law school.

Even before that, Newman was setting himself apart. Lovelace recalled a time in high school when Newman started an LLC and would hand out business cards promoting his business.

He had “vision,” his cousin, Audwynn Newman, said. And he was wise beyond his years.

Audwynn and Brian were the oldest and youngest cousins, respectively, and often called themselves the bookends of the Newman family.

Then one day Brian said they needed to reevaluate that language.

He said, ‘We’re not bookends, we’re bridges,” Audwynn remembers.

Indeed, Newman was a bridge builder, Audwynn said, in his public service and in how he interacted with people on a daily basis.

Newman was an integral visionary for Columbia’s BullStreet development and a champion for criminal justice reform in the city, Benjamin said.

A former prosecutor in the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Newman was from a South Carolina family with roots in the law and public life.

He was the great nephew of the late state Sen. I. DeQuincey Newman, a leader in the state’s 20th century civil rights struggles. His father and sister — Clifton Newman and Jocelyn Newman — are state Circuit Court judges.

Newman carried a big name with an important legacy, but he carried it with humility and sincerity, Benjamin said.

Many high-profile Columbians remembered Newman fondly on social media after hearing news of his death.

“Extremely tough to hear the news yesterday. Brian was an amazing guy. So easy to be around. His approach to tough issues and view on life always impressed me,” wrote Sam Johnson, a former city employee and former Columbia mayoral candidate.

“Heartbroken last night when I learned that Brian DeQuincey Newman had passed. He was one of those (people) who always made you feel like he was so happy to see you,” wrote former state lawmaker Mandy Powers Norrell.

As a group of men surrounded the casket that lay closed at the front of the sanctuary Monday, the choir stood and began to sing a final song.

“When you hear of my homegoing, don’t worry about me. ... I’m just another soldier going home to be with the Lord.”

Newman was interred in private ceremony after the memorial service.