David S. Newcombe M.D.

1929 - 2010

David Sudgen Newcombe, MD, 80, died unexpectedly on Friday, June 11, 2010. He was born in Boston on June 28, 1929 and was the son of the late Walter W. and Catherine Sugden Newcombe. Dr. Newcombe was a resident of Weston for many years and previously resided in Baltimore, Maryland. He spent his formative years in West Roxbury and was a graduate of The Roxbury Latin School, Class of 1948. He received a B.A. cum laude in Biology from Amherst College in 1952 and a M.D., C.M. in Medicine from McGill University in 1956. In 1957, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army in Uijongbu, Korea. Dr. Newcombe was an intern at Boston City Hospital and an Assistant Resident in Medicine at Duke University Medical Center. He then studied biological chemistry at Harvard Medical School and pursued his interest in gout and genetics. Dr. Newcombe spent most of his career as a physician in internal medicine, rheumatology, occupational medicine and toxicology at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. There he attained the rank of full professor while carrying on a rheumatology practice, teaching and running a research laboratory. He published numerous medical and scientific articles, authored Inherited Disorders and Uric Acid Metabolism and contributed to several editions of The Principles and Practice of Medicine. With a desire to return to his roots and with encouragement from colleagues, Dr. Newcombe moved to Massachusetts in 1992 to take a position at the Bedford VA hospital and later worked at the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a staff physician. Upon retirement, he began to pursue his lifelong goal of writing a book about a disease that still held his fascination | gout; he completed writing this book just one week ago. "We were classmates at an extraordinary teaching facility. We never realized until years later that Roxbury Latin School taught us that we must pursue excellence in everything we did. David Newcombe's medical career reflects this training for success. His passion for helping others will be sorely missed said Jim Rosenfield, RLS 48. Dr. Robert Boyd of Wayland, a longtime friend and McGill Medical School classmate said David was a scientist and accomplished physician whom we respected in medical school and afterwards. He had a keen mind and gentlemanly manner and was a quietly loyal friend. Dr. Newcombe was a caring person as a physician, a husband, a father and a friend. He enjoyed helping friends and family find medical care for themselves and their loved ones. He was an avid reader, photographer, political debater and fisherman. Private funeral services have been held. A Memorial Service celebrating his life will take place on July 14th at 10 oclock in the morning at The First Parish Church in Weston. Dr. Newcombe is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sissel M. (stgrd) Newcombe of Weston. He was the devoted father of Catherine Newcombe of Washington, D.C., Kiki Shilling of Lincoln and Sarah Faucett of Weston; the cherished father-in-law of Drew Shilling and Ben Faucett; and the beloved Papa of Maggie, Reid and Ellie Shilling and Lily and Will Faucett. Dr. Newcombe is also survived by his brother Walter W. Newcombe, Jr. and by his cousin Jane Sugden, both of West Harwich. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that gifts in his memory be sent to The Roxbury Latin School, In Memory of David S. Newcombe, 101 Saint Theresa Avenue, West Roxbury, MA 02132. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of the John C. Bryant Funeral Home of Wayland.