NEWCOMER, Robert Waldo

Published in The Arizona Republic from Apr. 20 to Apr. 22, 2021 - Phoenix, Arizona - Robert Waldo Newcomer, age 88, of Chandler, Arizona passed away on December 23, 2020 after a long struggle with kidney disease He went by "Bob" and was born in 1932 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then spent most of his younger years in Colorado. Bob attended tow years at the University of Colorado before enrolling in the Air Force's Officer Candidate School where he earned his commission as a second lieutenant. He was selected as a surrogate upperclassman in the newly established Air Force Academy where he served as an Air Training Officer. He then married a stewardess, Patty Adcock on December 1, 1956. He then transitioned to Flight School where he earned his wings and continued his Air Force career as a fighter pilot. He continued to work on college classes and graduated from the University of Nebraska in Omaha, with a degree in General Education. These were busy years, for Bob and Patty as they moved often to follow Bob's assignments in the Air Force and had 4 children. He was stationed in Arizona (multiple times), Alaska, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Nebraska, as well as a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970. Many great friendships were made during these years. Bob had a love of flying, fishing, and hunting. He especially enjoyed his time in Alaska where the hunting and fishing opportunities were endless. After retirement, he took up an old childhood hobby of flying racing pigeons. Bob enjoyed not only the pigeons but the friends he made that shared this hobby. Bob and his wife Patty built a cabin on a creek near Payson, Arizona. This became a place for them to escape the Arizona summer heat. They enjoyed taking friends and family to the cabin and wanted it to be a legacy to the family. Bob is survived by his children, Bob and Becky Newcomer (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Nancy and Jim Walker (Page, Arizona), Ken and Jeanne Newcomer (Oakton, Virginia) and Tom and Kelly Newcomer (Chandler, Arizona). He had 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.