The Mansfield Independent School District's newly retired superintendent died Wednesday in a motorcycle crash in southeastern South Dakota.
Vernon Newsom, 61, was trying to pass a truck on state Highway 50 near Geddes at about 6 p.m. when the truck started to turn, the Highway Patrol said. Newsom drove into a ditch to avoid a collision, and the motorcycle hit an approach and rolled.
His 62-year-old wife, Sharon, was a passenger on the bike and was in critical condition Thursday at a South Dakota hospital.
Newsom was superintendent for MISD for 13 years and had just retired in June. He was on vacation with his wife when the wreck happened.
Newsom's funeral service will be held on July 28 at 11:00 a.m., and the visitation is on July 27 at 6:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Mansfield located at 1800 E Broad St.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to a scholarship fund at Frost Bank for Newsom's granddaughters.
