Jack Highfill

Jack Highfill, a Newcastle fixture for nearly fifty years, passed away on October 17, 2026, at the age of 87. He leaves behind a lot of good concrete and fond memories for his family and friends.

Jack grew up in Denver and spent every chance he got in the Colorado mountains, where he fell for the outdoors early and never got over it. When the Air Force sent him to Ankara, Turkey, most young airmen would have settled for hanging out on base. Jack went hunting for bear and ibex instead, and he brought home the stories and a bear pelt to prove it.

After the service he went to work for Kiewit, helping build Interstate 90 across South Dakota, one long, straight mile at a time. He learned plenty about doing a job right and doing it to last. In 1976 he brought that know-how to Newcastle and stayed for good. He spent the following decades designing and pouring concrete projects all over town and the surrounding community. If you've walked, driven, or parked on something solid around here, there's a fair chance he had a hand in it.

Jack was never one to sit still. He always had a project going, and he took real pleasure in figuring things out his own way. He was always rigging up a contraption, or some improvement to the house nobody else would have thought of. If a neighbor had a problem, he'd show up with a tape measure and an idea, and usually leave them with something better than they'd planned on.

He was a fine gardener, too, and over the years kept chicken and bees. He also loved a good conversation, the livelier the better. He kept close tabs on politics, and he enjoyed a spirited back-and-forth as much as his full creel.

When he wasn't working, building, or tending the garden, you could find him hunting and fishing in the Big Horn Mountains or along the Cheyenne River. He'd happily tell you what he caught there or the one that got away, or the time the weather turned and the truck got stuck.

Jack is survived by his children, Kate, Janel, Clint and Jacqueline. He was proud of his 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 24, from 2-4 at the Newcastle Senior Center at 627 Pine St.