Quentin Newcombe, Jr.

QUENTIN NEWCOMBE, JR.
PHARR – Quentin Newcombe Jr., 85, died Sunday, March 27, 2016, at his home in Pharr.
Born on March 30, 1930, in El Dorado, Kansas, Quentin moved with his family to San Juan, Texas, after graduating from high school in Wichita, Kansas. He then went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Houston making him a second-generation pharmacist. While in pharmacy school, he met Louise Stewart and they were married on July 3, 1954, shortly after graduation. Following a year of graduate school at the University of Minnesota, Quentin served his country as a member of the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps where he advanced to the rank of Captain. After leaving the Air Force, Quentin and Louise moved to the Rio Grande Valley where they were co-owners and operators of Newcombe Pharmacy in Pharr for over 46 years. It was the first pharmacy in the Valley to be open until midnight, 365 days a year. In 1999, Newcombe Pharmacy was recognized as “Good Neighbor Pharmacy of the Year”; that same year he and his wife were recognized as “Pharmacists of the Year” on a national level and in 2005 they received the Pharr Lifetime Achievement award from the Pharr Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Newcombe, along with his wife, were active supporters of the Pharr Boys and Girls Club and were recognized as “Man and Woman of the Year” in 1997. They were long-time members of First Baptist Church in Pharr.
Quentin provided service to his community through his active involvement and leadership roles in Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Pharr Citizens League, Economic Development Council, Hidalgo County Regional Airport Board, local drug abuse programs and Boy Scouts. He was a Pharr City Commissioner for six years, Mayor of Pharr for four years, and was the founder of Leadership Pharr.
Quentin belonged to the Masonic Lodge for 64 years and the Order of the Eastern Star for 53 years. He was a member of Llano Grande Masonic Lodge 1173 of Weslaco where he served as Past Master and was a past Worthy Patron of the San Juan Eastern Star Chapter 726 (now Edinburg Chapter 473).
Mr. Newcombe was active in multiple professional pharmacy organizations, including the Rio Grande Valley and American Pharmaceutical Associations, Southern Pharmaceutical Conference and Texas Pharmaceutical Association, which honored him as “Pharmacist of the Year” in 1982. He was also recognized as the “Outstanding Alumnus” of the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, received the University of Houston Bristol Award, the Drug Travelers Association of Texas “King of Courtesy” Award and was recognized by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy for completing 50 years of service as a licensed pharmacist.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Louise Stewart Newcombe; his parents, Quentin Newcombe Sr. and Martha Reiss Newcombe; two sisters, Marynelle Gatti and Martha Lou Atkinson.
Quentin is survived by a daughter, Allyson Newcombe, of Houston; two sons, Kyle Stewart Newcombe of Edinburg, Bryan Ross (Lisa Gail) Newcombe of Potomac, Maryland; four grandchildren, Kevin Luna Newcombe, Emily Sara Newcombe, Patrick Brander Newcombe and Amanda Gail Newcombe.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2016, at Memorial Funeral Home in San Juan. Funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 1, 2016, at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel. A Masonic graveside service will follow at Valley Memorial Gardens in McAllen conducted by Llano Grande Lodge #1173.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Food Bank RGV, P.O. Box 6251, McAllen, TX 78502 or online at www.foodbankrgv.com .
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in San Juan.