COLUMBIA, S.C. — Brian DeQuincey Newman was 40 years old when he died Wednesday. According to friends, it was due to a blood clot in the heart.
As the great-nephew of civil rights leader the Rev. I. DeQuincey Newman, Brian became the youngest person ever elected to the Columbia City Council. He also served as an assistant solicitor with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office and chaired the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority's board of directors.
Before his untimely death, friend and former fellow council member Tameika Isaac Devine said he was involved in development work in Atlanta. She said he was living life on his terms and enjoying every minute.
"Brian was an amazing young man. He was very caring, very smart, had an amazing smile, and could really light up a room," Devine said.
Devine said Newman's legacy is so much more than his accomplishments.
"He had so many opportunities, was so bright, and didn't limit himself to one area or another but just looked at where he could give back," Devine said.
That selfless, caring spirit was also something a close friend, State Representative Todd Rutherford, admired as well.
"He was the kind of person that if he met you, you were his friend, and if you were his friend, you were his family, and that's how he treated everybody," Rutherford said.
The one thing he hopes people are reminded of in Newman's death is that we are never promised tomorrow.
"One of the most common things I remember Brian saying was 'YOLO' [You Only Live Once]. He lived every day like it was his last, and he believed that you should as well," said Rutherford with a smile.
Funeral arrangements have been set for Brian D. Newman.
A viewing will be held at 10 a.m. Monday morning. His funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia.
Correction: A previous version of the story misstated Newman's relationship with his namesake. Newman is the great-nephew of civil rights leader I. DeQuincey Newman. We regret the error.