Morris Douglas "Doug" Newton Jr. passed away on October 12, 2017 in Las Cruces, NM. He died while piloting an airplane, which was his lifelong and much loved profession. He was 77 years old.He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Elsie Newton; his daughters, Beth Corona and Sue Hoppe; his son, Robert Newton. He is also survived by two sisters, Susan Meloan and Mabel Printup; one brother, Charles Newton. In addition, he had 7 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.Doug was born on May 20, 1940 in Augusta, GA to Morris Sr. .and Sue Newton. He attended Richmond Academy in Augusta. He graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BS in Bio Chemistry. After graduation, he joined the Coast Guard where he was stationed in Corpus Christi and Alaska. After leaving active duty in the Coast Guard, he joined the Navy Reserves.Doug became an Eastern Airlines pilot, where he was first based in New York. While working for Eastern Airlines, Doug met and fell in love with Elsie Linda MacMullen and soon married. They lived in New York and Connecticut, then moved to Virginia Beach, VA in 1981.Doug retired as a Captain with Naval Reserve squadron VR56 at NAS Norfolk in 1983. He continued his aviation career with Eastern Airlines until the company shut down in 1991. After two small business ventures, he returned to flying as both a charter pilot and flight instructor/operations manager in Las Cruces, NM where he has spent the last 16 years.In September 2015, Doug received recognition by the Federal Aviation Administration with the Wright Brother's "Master Pilot" Award given to pilots who had flown for more than 50 years. Doug will be remembered as not only an avid aviation enthusiast, but a skilled story teller, and a friend and confidante to many who knew him. Over the years, he was a dedicated leader in the local and aviation community.Services will be held Friday Oct 20, 2017 at 11 AM at Baca's Funeral Chapel, 300 E. Boutz Road, Las Cruces, NM . Doug's ashes will be disbursed in Fripp Island, South Carolina at a future date. Military honors will be accorded by a United States Navy Honor Guard. Entrusted to Baca's Funeral Chapels of Las Cruces and Sunset Crematory, 527-2222 Your exclusive providers for "Veterans and Family Memorial Care" For online condolences logon to www.bacasfuneralchapelsoflascruces.com