Obituary: Jim Newton

Jim Newton, 84, of Oakes Electric Supply/Horizon Solutions, Holyoke, Mass., passed away on Aug. 11 at his home in South Hadley, Mass. He learned the industry from his father at Oakes Electric Supply before venturing off into several new pursuits, including Sales Tech Corp., a sales, marketing and training company, and Profile Systems, an early player in e-business. Newton wrote for Electrical Wholesaling for decades and created the Electrical Products Education Course (EPEC) for the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED).

His obituary in The Republican says he is survived by his wife, Louise, and five children: James B. Newton Jr. and wife Christiane; Carla W. Newton; Cynthia Neumann and husband Gus; Linda Newton-Hoey and husband Mark of Holyoke; and Jeffrey T. Newton and wife, Sarah, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Newton’s obituary said that instead of sending flowers, he wants you to take a friend to lunch.