Carolyn B. Newberry

Mrs. Carolyn Newberry passed away gracefully at Columbus Hospice, ending her courageous and inspiring 3-year battle with ovarian cancer. All who are blessed to have known her will miss her bright, shining smile and her joyful, loving, and enthusiastic spirit.

She is preceded in death by her father, Col. Robert Platt Boyd, Jr.; her mother, Winifred Boyd; and her older brother, Major Robert Platt Boyd, III. She is survived by her older sister, Winnie Boyd; her loving, devoted husband, Glenn Newberry; her children, Kristen Newberry Johnson (Tommy) and David Glenn Newberry (Calleene); and her precious grandchildren, Jack Johnson and Winnie Johnson.

Born in Arlington, VA, to a military family, Carolyn spent her first nine years at US Army bases in the US and Europe. After her family settled in Auburn, AL, she attended Auburn public schools, where she played sports, especially tennis, was an A student, and participated in numerous clubs. She then attended Auburn University, where she was a proud member of the Kappa Delta sorority and the ROTC rifle team, and where she graduated early with a degree in accounting.

She worked in accounting for less than two years before becoming a Delta flight attendant. While based in Atlanta with Delta, she met and married the love of her life, Glenn Newberry. Four years later they moved to Columbus, where, after their second child was born, Carolyn gave up flying in order fulfill her lifelong dream of being a full-time mom—which she viewed as the most important job of her life.

Carolyn was fully involved in every school, sports, and church activity that affected her children. Though she twice served as PTA President at Reese Road Elementary School, Carolyn much preferred to work behind the scenes, and her enthusiastic belief that everything would turn out okay was almost always right. She always did all she could to ensure that everyone else felt valued and successful.

Attending an Auburn football game with Carolyn—or even watching one on TV—was a memorable experience: her non-stop cheering and enthusiasm were unforgettable. Her love for Auburn, however, was not based on the football team but on her belief in the Auburn Creed, her belief that Auburn graduates were truly making a difference in the world, and her love for the people of the city of Auburn.

Carolyn’s deepest emotions were focused elsewhere: she loved God and Jesus. Though she didn’t fully grasp her salvation until she was 26 years old, she grew and matured in her faith throughout her adult life, yet she still viewed herself as “a baby Christian.” It was her childlike faith that led her to value her family, her church family, and her friends as priceless treasures. The joy, enthusiasm, and positive attitude she derived from those relationships empowered her to treat everyone she encountered with similar emotions. She was simply a person who, once you spent any time with, you never forgot.

Carolyn requested that, in lieu of flowers, friends and family consider a gift to either the First Baptist Church of Columbus (earmarked for either the Koart Music Academy or the Missions fund or the work of the church), Casa David, the Robert Platt Boyd, Jr. Endowment for Scholarships at Auburn University, or the Winifred Hill Boyd Graduate Scholarship in science and mathematics with the Kappa Delta Sorority National Headquarters.

A memorial service for Carolyn will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Columbus, GA at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 7th.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Newberry family.