Clare H. Newcomer

Clare Hobby Newcomer, wife of Charlie Alfred Newcomer III, died on June 7, 2025.

Born in Fitzgerald, Georgia on November 5, 1935 to Rev. Isaac Robert Hobby and Lois Jenkins Hobby, Clare was the youngest of three children. She spent her childhood in Fitzgerald and graduated from Fitzgerald High School in 1953. Throughout the years, she attended reunions when able and stayed close to her friends getting together often in their senior years.

Clare spent her first year of college at Tift College and then transferred to Mercer in Macon for the next two. She began her studies in Biological Sciences and was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. During a trip home she ran into Charlie Newcomer, a friend of her brother Frank. The two started talking and after picking her up in an airplane for their first date the two became inseparable. They married June 24, 1956 and were together for 69 years. The two spent their honeymoon in West Palm Beach due to Charlie’s Air Force training before being reassigned to Travis Air Force Base in California. While in California, she finished her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California – Davis graduating with a degree in English.

While assigned to Travis, Van Newcomer was born, and later Doug would join the family while they were stationed in England.

A staunch advocate for education, Clare went back to school to get her teaching certification. She taught in numerous school systems and at various levels while serving the final 20 plus years at Lake Harbin Elementary as the Media Specialist. She loved her time there and remained close with her teacher friends, going on trips to Dog Island for years and in more recent years meeting to play cards and laugh.

Extensively involved in the Elijah Clarke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she spent untold hours editing the directory, serving veterans, and putting Poppy flowers in various memorial locations. She served in numerous roles including chapter Regent.

The daughter of a minister, Clare remained strong in her faith throughout her life. One of her favorite songs to quote “One day at a time, Sweet Jesus”.

Wonderful storyteller, great writer, family paper assignment editor, she kept her children and subsequently her grandchildren entertained and ensured they knew the power of the pen. While often detailing the books she was reading she would sidetrack to made up stories with Van and Doug often being unsure where she diverged. From made up stories about two stuffed bunnies or giving a backstory to a one-legged pigeon that lived in her backyard, to regaling childhood tales from growing up during WWII, she was always sought for a story.

Daughter, Sister, Mother, Teacher, Grandmother, and Friend, she carried these titles with honor and established herself as a fixture in the lives of her family and friends. Her intelligence, class, goodness, and quick wit made her beloved.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings Robert Donald “Don” Hobby and Frank Lawson Hobby Sr. She is survived by Charlie, sons Van (Jill) and Doug (Wendy) Newcomer, grandchildren Valerie Foster (Jessie), Craig Newcomer, Brennen Newcomer, Elizabeth LaRue (Isaac), Charles Newcomer (Payton), and great-grandson Hayes Newcomer.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elijah Clarke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution or Friendship Presbyterian church.

The family will receive friends at their house on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. They will have a private family ceremony in Fitzgerald, GA at a later date.