Paula Ball Newkirk passed away Saturday, December 1, 2018, in Gainesville, Georgia. Born June 6, 1934, she was a daughter of the late Edgar and Pauline Ball. “Captain” Ball established the bands at Riverside Academy and several other Hall County schools, and Pauline taught piano to generations of local youth. Paula graduated from Gainesville High School in 1952, Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, in 1956, and was a graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia. She married Richard Newkirk, a Presbyterian seminarian, in 1958. His career in the ministry took the couple to churches in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. At each step along the way, Paula supported the church’s ministry by playing the organ, leading the volunteer choir and teaching Sunday school classes for adults. In Marlinton, where she last lived before retirement, she taught English at Marlinton Middle School for over two decades. Paula returned to Gaines-ville, Georgia, for retirement with her husband in 1996, and she continued teaching adult Sunday school classes at First Presbyterian Church and was active in the church and community. Her unique combination of wit, seriousness, devotion to teaching, and loving acceptance of others enabled her to establish lasting friendships and leave a profound impression on all who knew her. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Newkirk. She is survived by her son, Mark Newkirk, and wife, Veronika; daughter, Elizabeth Newkirk Parsons; four grandchildren, Tony and Becca Parsons, Anna and Eduard Newkirk; a niece, Pat Newkirk and her family; and a nephew, Donald Ebeling and his family. Memorial service will be held Saturday, December 15, 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to First Presbyterian Church missions committee, 800 S Enota Dr. NE, Gainesville, GA 30501.
