Jeff Newschwander

Jeff Newschwander was born on June 26, 1975 in Mission, British Columbia to Linda and Fred.  His family moved to Ellensburg, Washington in 1980 when he was 5 years old.

Jeff was diagnosed with Glioblastoma brain cancer in June 2022 and passed peacefully on June 2, 2023.  He is survived by his wife Angela San Filippo, his daughter Jocelyn Newschwander, and her mother Dawn Adams, his mother Linda Sharpe and her husband Larry Sharpe, his sisters Valerie Hedrick and Brenda Warnaca, and his beloved goldendoodle, Sam.

He graduated at the top of his class at Ellensburg High School.  Attended Pepperdine University, and graduated from Washington State University in Environmental Science.  Jeff began his career as an environmental consultant and worked at the Washington State Department of Ecology for the last 17 years in the Toxic Clean-up Program.  He started at Ecology helping clean up schools contaminated with lead and arsenic. Throughout his career, Jeff always looked to find practical and shared solutions to clean up properties. Recently, his career circled back to lead and arsenic contamination, helping the Central Washington region start a program for new residential properties on old orchard land.

From an early age Jeff found joy in many outdoor activities.  From snow skiing to water skiing, snowmobiling, mountain biking, backpacking, soccer, trail running, trips to Cooper Lake with family, and many others.  Throughout the years, his love for the outdoors continued to grow and Jeff built lifelong bonds through weekend adventures and many trips sharing his knowledge and love of the outdoors through his generous and encouraging spirit.

As an avid outdoorsman, Jeff would jump at any opportunity to mountain bike with friends, explore new trails, and advocate for outdoor enthusiasts.  Mountain biking became a primary hobby he enjoyed greatly - from solo rides smashing the singletrack, to group rides with friends, and nomadic road trips.  He loved all aspects of the sport.

Jeff also became very skilled at navigating in the backcountry.  He enjoyed guiding friends to remote places on snowmobiles to find the freshest and deepest of powder.  Navigating backpack trips to little known alpine lakes, and finding the best backcountry ski turns.

Jeff was an amazing and dedicated father and treasured sharing adventures and his love of the outdoors with his daughter, Jocelyn.  Going on road trips to explore new areas.  Boat trips, mountain bike adventures, dinner over campfires in the mountains, Jocelyn was Jeff's favorite companion for any and every adventure.

Jeff and Angela had a deep love for each other and strong connection over shared interests and activities.  They loved traveling as much as possible, visiting with friends and family, spending time at their favorite destinations in the Pacific Northwest, and seeking new trails and adventures both close to home and abroad.

Jeff was loved by many and his legacy exists in all of us.

A Celebration of Life for Jeff for will be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at Iron Horse Brewery, 1621 Vantage Highway, Ellensburg. All are welcome to join us in celebrating Jeff's life and legacy.