Steven Bryce Newkirk died on April 11, 2025, at his home.
Visitation will be held at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel in Lampasas on April 17 from 5-7 p.m.
Services will be held at San Saba’s First Baptist Church on April 18 at 2 p.m.
Steven was born on July 9, 1972, in El Paso to Dale and Gayle Clemons Newkirk. He was the firstborn grandchild of both his Clemons and Newkirk grandparents. He was a happy and lovingly ornery little boy.
He attended school in El Paso (Eastpoint Elementary School, Eastwood Middle School and Eastwood High School).
He loved the outdoors and was happiest when he could have the wind in his face and be around animals. From a young age, he admired the cowboy way of life and incorporated cowboy values and culture into his life wherever he could. In high school, he participated in the rodeo club and aspired to be a professional bull rider. He dreamed of living in the country and owning a ranch with livestock.
In 1990, he married Aundrea Rowe, and they had a daughter, Megan Shea, followed by a son, Tanner Clay, and another daughter, Caitlyn Elizabeth.
In the early years, he worked as a technician at High Tech Southwest in El Paso. A few years later, the family relocated to Huntsville, where Steve began working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a guard at the Walls Unit, which housed death row inmates. It was here that he honed his interpersonal and problem-solving skills in a very challenging environment and developed a love for mentoring others.
In 1995, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a law enforcement officer at the Lewisville Police Department until he retired in 2016. He worked patrol, motorcycles and investigations, and took great pride in protecting and serving his community. He enjoyed his career and made many lifelong friends.
Ten years later, he and Aundrea divorced, and, in 2000, he crossed paths with Kristy Beth Simmons, who worked for the city of Lewisville as a dispatcher. They were married in 2002 and, in 2005, Koren Adelle was born, followed by Jayce Steven, who completed their family in 2007.
In retirement, the family moved to Lampasas to enjoy the beauty of the Hill Country and a quieter, simpler way of life. Steve took a job as a ranch foreman with an exotic and trophy whitetail deer breeder, and they found a five-acre home place and worked to make it their dream home. They raised chickens and acquired a horse before expanding a few years later to the 27-acre place where they still reside, now with goats, rabbits, pigs, ducks, a donkey, two horses and his favorite, wild turkeys.
It wasn’t long before Steve decided he missed the rewards, challenges and brotherhood of law enforcement. He returned to the field as an investigator for the San Saba Police Department in 2021. In 2024, he moved into his dream job as chief of police. He loved the job and the people of San Saba.
In his personal time, Steve was a true artist in many mediums. He had a deep appreciation for the poetry and lyricism in music and loved to play guitar and share music with his family and friends. He was a skilled metal worker, enjoyed mechanics and loved to tinker, build, repair and create. Above all else, Steve loved and cared deeply for those in his vast circle. He had a passion for teaching and developing those he loved and cared about, and leaves a lasting legacy through the many lives he touched.
He is survived by his wife, Kristy; children Megan and husband Stephen Warne, Tanner and wife Caitlin Newkirk, Caitlyn and husband Aidan Davis, Koren Newkirk and Jayce Newkirk; his grandsons (who called him Pawdad) Bowen, Brooks, Baines and Benny Warne and Wells Davis; his parents, Dale and Gayle Newkirk, and Mike and Debbie Simmons; siblings Michelle Newkirk and her husband Lex Ramsey, Michael Simmons, and Jimmy Simmons and wife Dana; and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents Clemons and Newkirk; his nephew, Zachary Ramsey; and several uncles.
Donations may be made in Steve’s name to fund police academy scholarships. Details will be forthcoming.
