Obituary of Florence J. Newcomb

Florence Jane Newcomb (Colgan) passed away in peace with family at her side in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 8th at the age of 93. She is survived by her 5 children, Ed Newcomb of Harrisburg; Suzie Newcomb Harbour of Miami, FL, granddaughter Alicia Jones, grandson-in-law Hall Jones, great grand children Caty and Cole Jones, all of Winchester MA, grandson Donald Harbour of Miami, FL, granddaughter Jenny Grattan, grandson-in law Dan Grattan and great grand daughter Scarlett Grattan all of Hoboken, NJ; Frank Newcomb, daughter in-law Annette Newcomb, grand daughter Ashley Newcomb all of Harrisburg; Joan Newcomb and her partner Brad Oliver of Chesapeake, VA , grandsons Troy Shott of Harrisburg, PA and Austin Shott of Pompano Beach FL; Valerie Newcomb, son-in-law Tom Zahorik, granddaughters Florence Jane and Ellie Zahorik, all of Charlottesville, VA. She is preceded in death by her late husband Herbert J. Newcomb, Jr., her first-born son, Herbert J. Newcomb III and her dear love, Charles Crimmel, all of Harrisburg, PA. Florence was an only child, born in Baltimore, MD in 1922 to John R. Colgan and Margaret Wamhoff, whom she lost at age 19. She was proud of her all girls Catholic education in Baltimore, and is an alum of Seton, The Institute of Notre Dame and Notre Dame College, where she graduated in 1945 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. Throughout her school years she was a ballet dancer and in high school and college was very involved in the theater, performing, choreographing and directing elaborate shows. Her early career took her to the cannery district in Baltimore's east harbor, where she worked as a chemist for the Food and Drug Administration. In 1947 she married Herb Newcomb and together they raised a bustling family of six, moving for a short while to Syracuse, NY and then settling in Harrisburg, PA in 1962. Roots were firmly planted in West Hanover Township and a second home was found in the brand new Catholic Church called Holy Name of Jesus, where she was a member of the Harrisburg DCCW for over 50 years. The children attended Holy Name of Jesus elementary school, where Florence was a substitute teacher in the 1960's and '70's and started an after school sewing class in the cafeteria. Her incredible talent for sewing led her to work in a local bridal shop, and meet her future business partner and lifelong friend, Clara Rowe. Together they made hundreds of gowns for brides and their wedding parties. Florence moved to Charlottesville in 2011 and referred to her life as "truly retired, didn't have to cook or do laundry or wash dishes." She relished life to the very end and enjoyed eating, laughing, wine with her lunch, getting her hair done every Friday and splurging on fresh flowers and pedicures. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Viewings will be held at Dailey Funeral Home on Sunday August 14th from 4-7pm., and from 1- 2 pm., August 15th at Holy Name of Jesus Church. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 2:00 pm. A reception follows at American Legion Post 272. She will be laid to rest at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery on Tuesday August 16th at 9:30am. In lieu of flowers the family encourages donations to the University of Virginia Health Foundation at http://healthfoundation.virginia.edu/ways-to-give The Dailey Funeral Home Is Honored To Serve The Newcomb Family. Even though I am not there in person now, I am with you all in thoughts and prayers for you, Frank, Annette, and Ashley during this time in the loss of your mother and grandmother. Her obituary is very nice and even though I did not know her, she seemed like a lady that had many goals, including an incredible number of children that she raised so well. We all know that Heaven is a great place and her faith was important to her. God Bless Your Whole Family and Siblings, Frank! In Christ, Sandy Zaccagnini