Obituary: John Ligouri Newcomb, 89, Bardstown
JOHN L. NEWCOMB
John Ligouri Newcomb, 89, of Bardstown, died peacefully at his home Wednesday, March 15, 2017. He was born March 27, 1927, in New Hope to the late John C. and Alice Bowling Newcomb. He joined the U.S. Navy midway through his senior year at St. Joe Prep and received his 1945 high school diploma while attending basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Station. While being transported across the Pacific for the invasion of Japan, he received the news of Japan’s surrender.
After returning from the Navy, he joined his father in the oil business, J. C. Newcomb & Son which later became Newcomb Oil Co. He was chairman of the company and was active in the business until the day prior to his death.
He was an involved member of the Bardstown community. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Catholic education and enjoyed charitable giving. Some honors include St. Joe Prep’s Hall of Fame (1997), Bardstown-Nelson County Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year (2001), and Distinguished Honoree of the Catholic Education Foundation (2003). He served on the board of Wilson & Muir Bank for 42 years.
First and foremost, he loved being surrounded by his immediate and extended family. He loved to travel, enjoyed being outdoors, and was an avid reader and history buff. He was a wonderful story teller with many quotable idioms, complemented with a sense of humor. He valued visiting with employees, customers, and friends at the company’s local stores.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Edna Boone Newcomb; one daughter, Rose Alice Newcomb; and one grandson, David C. Newcomb.
He considered himself lucky to find love a second time, and was married to Sally O’Daniel Johnson, his wife of 19 years. Additional survivors include three daughters, Ann Newcomb (Phil Kirk) of Big Pine Key, Fla.; Cathy Mendenhall (Tom) of St. Michaels, Md.; Barbara Greenwell (Chuck Mattingly) of Bardstown; two sons, Jack Newcomb (Michelle) and Bill Newcomb (Karen), both of Bardstown; three stepsons, Pat Johnson (Anita) of Knoxville, Paul Johnson (Stephanie) of Campbellsville and Daniel Johnson (Vicki) of Greeneville, Tenn.; one sister, Fran McCoy of Bardstown; 25 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
The celebration of his life is 1 p.m. Saturday, March 18, 2017, at St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown with burial in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 2-8 p.m. Friday, March 17, 2017, and after 9 a.m. Saturday at Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home, 1475 New Shepherdsville Rd. in Bardstown. A prayer service is 6 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Bethlehem High School or St. Joseph School.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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