Patricia Newhall

Patricia Newhall passed away peacefully at home with her family on Tuesday, August 10, 2020. Patricia has lived in Barrington for 60 years and became active in the town early on.  She took leadership of a 4-H club, coached the 7th and 8th grade girls softball team, and served on the Strafford Country Cooperative Extension Council.  As an active volunteer in the Barrington School district served as President of the PTA and served 9 years on the Barrington School Board chairing the board three times.  During that period she served 3 years as Chairman of the Supervisory Union Joint Board and worked with 2 building committees to achieve the middle School.  She then helped to work out curriculum and staffing for a Jr. High Program. Pat was an active church volunteer where she taught Sunday School, served as Deaconess, member of the Congregational Church financial committee, and president of Women's Fellowship. In 1983 Pat was elected as the first woman to serve as a Selectman for the town of Barrington.  During her six years as Selectman she served as Chairman of the Board twice, member of the Planning Board, Liaison to the Zoning Board, member of the NH Municipal Association Executive Board, trustee of the Health Trust, and Advocate Judge for the Welfare.  After her second term ended, she served as Secretary of the Zoning Board. Pat thoroughly enjoyed her social participation in various Barrington women's groups and activities including the weekly TOPS club meetings and the "Barrington Belles" Red Hat group monthly luncheons at local restaurants decked out in their red hats and purple clothes. In 2003 Pat and her family donated 80 acres of forestland to the town of Barrington in a Conservation Easement to ensure the land would not be developed in the future.  Pat was passionate about the environment and was an active participant in the SOG (Save our Groundwater), a grassroots organization that successfully fought a company whose intent was to bottle groundwater for shipment overseas. In April of 2001 Pat was chosen as Volunteer of the year and was chosen as Citizen of the Year in 2004. Pat is survived by her daughters Linda Kohrs and Susan Johnson, her granddaughter Tara Lee and Grandsons Chris Comtois and Aaron Johnson. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Patricia's name with the St. Labre Indian School which Pat supported for over 40 years OR the National Wildlife Foundation Save Our Wolves program which was also close to her heart. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 3:00 PM. Memorial visitation with family from 2PM to 3PM at Edgerly Funeral home in Rochester, NH.