Obituary of Roger T. Newcomb

Roger Trafton Newcomb, 81, passed away February 27, 2018 at his home in Swanville. He was born in Hampden on March 29, 1936, the eldest son of Kenneth and Ruth (Severance) Newcomb. Roger attended schools in Hampden and graduated Salutatorian of his class at Hampden Academy in 1954. He then attended MVTI and shortly after graduation was employed by IBM as a Field Engineer in the Boston office. He married Linda Lee White on June 11, 1953 and together they raised 4 children. In 1975, Roger transferred back to Maine, living first in East Millinocket before settling in Swanville in 1978. His IBM clients included the likes of Great Northern Paper Company, Keyes Fiber, Seton Hospital, and the SD Warren Paper Mill. Roger retired from IBM in 1987, at the age of 51. After retirement, Roger worked a variety of part time jobs as a self-employed contractor and even tried his hand as a meat cutter. He also served the Town of Swanville as a Planning Board Member, Tax Collector, Notary Public and Treasurer. In his younger years, Roger played in a softball league, enjoyed fishing, snowmobiling, woodworking, gardening, maintaining his beautifully landscaped yard, a good game of horseshoes, and a cold beer on a hot day. He was an accomplished carpenter, having built a camp on Swan Lake and his home in Swanville, as well as many other construction projects for his children. He had a tremendous work ethic and believed that anything that was worth doing was worth doing well. He was a perfectionist, and there was no such thing as “good enough”. In his later years, Roger could be found puttering in his yard or garden, attending his grandsons’ sporting events, following the Patriots, Red Sox & Celtics, or on his computer creating a spreadsheet for something. He was a lifelong fan of the University of Maine Men’s Hockey team sharing his season tickets with his children and grandchildren and traveling as far as Lake Placid and Milwaukee to watch them play. Roger’s greatest gift to his family was the camp he built on Swan Lake, which became a gathering place for four generations of his extended family. At camp, days are spent on the water, in the horseshoe pits, or simply enjoying conversation and evenings are spent around the campfire. If you were lucky enough to spend your summers at camp, you were lucky enough… Roger was predeceased by his parents; brother Richard Newcomb; brother-in-law William Treworgy; sister-in-law Frances Newcomb; and granddaughter Kelley J. Newcomb. He is survived by Linda, his wife of 64 years; his son Robert Newcomb and his wife Deborah, daughters Cathy Wall and her husband Roy, Jennifer Curtis and her husband Rick and Martha Kulikowski and her husband Bob; grandchildren Jody, Jeff, Matthew, Alex, Dustin, Lindsay, Scott and Sam; and nine great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 17 at 11:00 in the lower level of the Swanville Town Hall. A private burial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roger’s name to MaineHealth Care at Home, 15 Industrial Park Road, Saco Maine 04072.