James Newbauer

JAMES STEPHEN NEWBAUER age 81 of Worthington passed away on Friday, July 3, 2020 at Kobacker House after battling health issues for several years. He was born on February 14, 1939 to John S. Newbauer and Ruth L. (Whisler) Newbauer in Dayton, Ohio, the second of five children. Jim attended Lady of Mercy Elementary School and graduated from Dayton Chaminade High School with the Class of 1957. He began his working career at Dayton Precision Company in 1957 as a purchasing agent until 1992 with a brief sojourn to Sears in 1964. He returned to Dayton Precision in 1966 and moved with the company to Newark, Ohio in 1968. He moved back to Dayton in 1995 to help care for his ailing father and took another purchasing agent position with Formulabs (which later became a subsidiary of Kimberly Clark Corp.) in Piqua. He moved back to Worthington in 2002 where he joined Honda Corp. and remained there until his retirement in 2004. Jim’s family moved to the “Farm” in 1953. It became a gathering place for family and friends over the years. The “Farm” hosted many family birthdays, graduations, weddings, miscellaneous occasions and holidays until 2006. He loved the “Farm” and spent as much time there as possible with his family and friends. Jim married Carol Diane Franz (Dayton) in 1959 and they had three children: Susan Marie Smeltzer (Tom), Newark, Jeffrey Steven Newbauer (Michele), Columbus and James Christopher Newbauer (Sarah), Heath. After they divorced, he married Susan Jane (Moore) Wright in 1970. They had two children: Lori Annette Hutchison (John), Heath and Stephen Scott Newbauer (Beth), Lewis Center. Jim became active in Newark’s Mound City Little League program in 1968. He spent most of his time teaching kids from ages eight to ten in the farm program, the fundamentals of baseball before they moved onto the varsity program. He was coach of the Fraternal Order of Police farm team from 1970 until 1995. He served on the Leagues’ Board of Commissioners in various capacities and as president several times, helping to establish modern guidelines for the operation of the League. He became a lifetime commissioner in 1975. Jim was very proud of his “farm kids” as he called them. Jim was also an avid bowler, bowling with the Dayton Precision team and in the Park Classic Mixed League and the Rollie Ford Mixed League. He also served as a coach for the Park Lanes Junior Bowling Program. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, John and Ruth Newbauer, brother, John R. Newbauer, his aunts: Ann Baczenas, Mabel Bader, Thelma Nugent and Madeline Kelly. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Susan, his children: Susan, Jeffrey, Lori, James C. and Stephen, his nine grandchildren: Andrew Smeltzer, Michael Smeltzer, Ryan Smeltzer, Tyler Newbauer, Shannon Hutchison Montell, Shelby Hutchison Conley, Daniel Newbauer, Cody Newbauer and Graham Newbauer and the loves of his life, his great- grandchildren: Casen Conley, Sydney Montell, Emerson Conley, Brantley Montell, Eli Smeltzer and soon to be born baby Hallie Grace Montell. He is also survived by his brothers: Robert L. Newbauer (Barbara), Dennis E. Newbauer (Patti) and sister Nancy A. Newbauer (David) and many nieces and nephews. Jim also leaves his very special friend of 75 years, Peter Herbon, Jr. (Carol) of Vandalia, Ohio. Private family services will be held at Schoedinger - Worthington Chapel, 6699 North High Street, Columbus, Oh 43085 at a later date, Wally McLauglin officiating. Inurnment will follow at Newark Memorial Gardens in Newark, Ohio at later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to: The Mound City Little League Restoration Fund, in Jim’s name, to P.O. Box 581, Newark, Ohio 43055 or Ohio Health Hospice, 800 McConnell Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43214-3463 or the charity of your choice.