Newton Thomas Houge III

First Sergeant (1SG) Newton “Tommy” Houge III, age 50, passed away on August 29, 2025, in Athens, Georgia.

Born on November 16, 1974, in Charleston, South Carolina, he was one of four children born of Newton Houge Sr. and Terri Houge. In 1995, 1SG Houge began his distinguished military career with the South Carolina Army National Guard. Over the course of 22 years, he served with honor, integrity, and unwavering dedication, retiring in 2017.

A proud veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1SG Houge was mobilized in 2002 with the 678th Engineer Detachment, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, and deployed to Afghanistan.

On August 25, 2025, after dropping his wife off at the airport, Tommy was driving in the fast lane on the interstate, and he suffered a massive heart attack. In true hero fashion, that was all Tommy, he still somehow pressed the brake and stopped the car without crashing, saving countless lives on the interstate that morning.

When the police and rescue pulled up ten minutes later and broke into the vehicle, it was still in drive with Tommy’s foot still on the brake. He was resuscitated several times on the way to the hospital over an hour away in Athens, GA, where he stayed on life support until Friday, August 29, 2025. Tommy’s final act of generosity and selflessness on this earth was organ donation.

The family invites friends to gather for a visitation on Wednesday afternoon, September 3, 2025, from 1:00 until 4:00 PM at Platt’s Funeral Home on Belair Road. Military honors will be presented at the funeral home.

Tommy, a native of Charleston, was one of four children born to Newton T. Houge II and Terri J. Pressley. He joined the military as young man and spent 22 years serving his country, before retiring. He earned his business degree from the University of Phoenix and was the Operations Excellence Manager at Lansing Building Products for 20+ years.

In addition to his wife, Susannah, he is survived by his children, Whitley Jenkins (Cameron), Lloyd Kennedy (Oyuki), Tamela Brown (Ethan), Savannah Bray (Jordan), Sydney Spradley (Spencer), Kyle Kramer (Heidi), Peyton Kramer (Meigin Angelo) and Jacob Kramer. His brothers, Tony Houge and Troy Houge (Alexis), and his grandchildren, Monica, Lexi, King, Audrey, Hinson Lee, Skyelynn, Scarlett, Ryleigh, Marleigh and Kyleigh.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Newton and Terri and his sister, Tanya Houge.

Please leave condolences in the online guestbook.