Dwight Keith Neumann's Obituary
Dwight Keith Neumann, 81, died on October 15, 2025, at Culpeper Medical Center in Culpeper, Virginia. He was born on March 18, 1944, in Wichita, Kansas to the late Alfred August Neumann and Mabel Orpha Vennes.
He is survived by his wife, Zilda Neumann, his three children, Eric, Gabriella, and Daniel
Neumann, and his older brother, Marvin Neumann.
Dwight is of German and Norwegian ancestry. He grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and throughout Illinois, spending the latter years of his childhood in the small town of Breese. He and his brother, Marvin, spent their summers on their grandparents’ farm in northern Minnesota. By his teen years, his family moved to California, where he graduated from Hollywood High School.
Dwight attended San Luis Rey College, a Franciscan seminary. He withdrew from seminary and proceeded to obtain a B.A. in Sociology from California State University Long Beach (CSULB). He worked as a probation officer/group counselor at Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles. He then returned to CSULB to pursue graduate studies, earning an M.A. in Spanish. A dedicated student, he pursued his education further by earning his Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literature in 1980 from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). For many years, he worked as a Spanish language professor at various colleges and universities throughout Southern California.
By age 40, Dwight found his professional calling as a Spanish-English Certified Court Interpreter for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, a position he held proudly for 36 years. An expert and pioneer in simultaneous interpretation, he developed his own exam preparation curriculum, published over 20 teaching workbooks, taught state certification courses, and mentored scores of students who went on to become certified court interpreters.
Dwight also had a passion for writing. Between 2003 and 2018 he self-published four books including: “Destroyer of Innocents”, “Dogmestic Violence”, “Pride, the Criminal Mind, & Crime Prevention”, and “Cisco & Cesco”. His literary works are fiction and non-fiction, encompassing auto-biographical excerpts, comedy, commentary on the criminal justice system and observations of government corruption.
Dwight enjoyed running, bowling, and playing basketball. He was a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and made sure that his three children followed suit. His musical taste was varied, with
Elvis at the top of his list, along with Patsy Cline, John Denver, and Billy Joel, among others. He had a silly sense of humor and relished in sharing funny stories with others. He loved his children and supported their interests. Between Daniel’s soccer games, Gabriella’s choir concerts, and Eric’s marathon wins, Dwight was a very proud father.
Dwight was married to Zilda for 44 years. They lived together in their home in Sylmar, California for most of that time and then embarked on the adventure of retiring in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal where they lived from 2022-2025. While there, Dwight enjoyed taking his dog, Alonzo, for walks along the Guadiana river, playing his harmonica, and spending time at the neighborhood cafe chatting with the locals.
Dwight was a good man, a funny man, a smart man. He was a dedicated husband and father, a dear friend and colleague. He will be missed immensely.
The family will receive friends for a memorial service on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 2p.m.
at Hebron Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madison, Virginia.
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