Jane Colleen Newbury

1945 - 2018

Jane Colleen Newbury was born Feb. 27, 1945 in Seattle, and passed away on Dec. 13, 2018, in Sacramento, California. Raised in Seattle, her parents moved to Palo Alto, California when she was 13. She spent her remaining years in California. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Maud Newbury; and her only sister, Emily. She is survived by her husband, Michael Neff. Jane graduated from San Francisco State in 1968 and received her MBA from Golden Gate University in 1976. In 1978, she passed the examination and was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant. She worked initially for Arthur Anderson, but then opened her own private practice, where she served as the outside auditor for many nonprofit agencies, including the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, California. She maintained her practice for over 30 years before retiring in 2013. Away from work, Jane was an active member of the Sports Car Club of America, where she volunteered as a race official for over 30 years. She held National licenses in both Timing & Scoring and Flagging & Communications. Jane officiated at Champ Car, IndyCar and IMSA races on the professional level, as well as amateur races across the country. She was highly respected for her professional demeanor in the most trying circumstances. She was honored as the Worker of the Year by the San Francisco Region of SCCA in 2015. She met her husband at Laguna Seca Raceway, and they enjoyed a 20-year partnership at the races. Jane also enjoyed traveling. She spent much of her off time traveling around the world, visiting Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. She and her husband traveled around the country in their RV, and they spent a month each year in Mexico. Jane will be sorely missed by her many friends from around the world. A celebration of life will be held for her friends and family at later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name should be made to The Weinberg Celeski Fund at Golden Gate University for the endowment fund for the graduate students of the accounting school.