Randell Alan Newman

66, owner of the Compass Rose Taxi Company of Southport, and a former longtime driver for Yellow Cab and Indy Airline Taxi, died unexpectedly Saturday, November 30, 2019. Mr. Newman was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis. He played football at Manual High School, graduating in 1972, and played minor league baseball for a short time before taking a job as an insurance salesman in the Indianapolis office of a national chain. Mr. Newman later worked in construction before finding his “calling” in life. His childhood and lifelong friend, John Montgomery, called it “the perfect job for him, driving a taxi cab, he got to meet people, and he just had this natural gift of gab. Mr. Newman could talk to anybody about anything. Make anybody laugh. He knew all kinds of things. And he was an incredible storyteller.” Mr. Newman played a public role in the 1980’s, advocating for a break up of a monopoly long held by Indianapolis taxi operators, which had prevented drivers from obtaining taxi medallions to operate as independents. He and others finally prevailed in their battle with the city’s taxi authority, and in 1993 Mr. Newman opened his own independent taxi operation, Compass Rose. He named the company after his extensive personal collection of compass devices. Mr. Newman was a part of a group of about a dozen close school friends from the south side of Indianapolis and Manual High School, who had gathered yearly without fail since 1972, always on the Friday after Thanksgiving, for an annual poker game and reunion. This past Friday would have marked their 48th consecutive year. Mr. Newman is survived by his wife of 37 years, Cindy Newman; daughter, Sheena (Thomas) Winn of Indianapolis; son, Chris Newman of Richmond; and his mother, Lila Newman; five grandchildren, Cody C., Ryan C. and Sean C. Newman, and Isabella “Izzy” and Charlie “Char Char” Winn; sister, Laura Reading; and brothers, Ralph A. “Andy” Newman, Jr. (Pam), John Newman (Christa) and Tom Newman, all of Indianapolis. His father, Ralph A. Newman, Sr., preceded him in death. A visitation will be held Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Shirley Brothers Thompson Road Chapel, 3333 E. Thompson Rd. Memorial contributions may be made to Wheeler Mission Ministries, 245 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. www.shirleybrothers.com.

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Randell Alan Newman

February 8, 1953 - November 30, 2019