Born and raised in Kansas, Paula attended Kansas State University where she met her husband and partner of 50 years, Peter Falk. After spending time in Colorado working in advertising, she joined Peter on their 15-acre homestead in Ocean County, New Jersey, a place she would call home for the next 28 years. They kept bees, grew organic vegetables and herbs, and had a menagerie of animals, including chickens, sheep, and goats. Paula loved writing and gardening. She described herself as "a grown woman who will, given some free time and a bright day, gravitate towards the pen (or the garden) as inevitably as a moth to a flame.” Paula raised two sons, Turner and Crosby, on her family's small but greatly beloved farm, commemorating her experiences there through many published poems, articles, and short stories. After many wonderful years in Ocean County, Paula and her family settled in Interlaken, New Jersey where she continued to write, garden, and enjoy cherished time with her husband, sons, and grandchildren. Paula died peacefully at her home in Interlaken surrounded by loved ones.
A professional writer, Paula held a Bachelors in Journalism from K-State and a Masters in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research in New York City. Paula was a lifelong storyteller with a deep love for writing. She shared this
passion through her published works, readings, monologues and poetry
performances, and as a teacher of various writing courses and workshops. Paula
was a member of the National Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
(SCBWI), and the International Women’s Writing Guild (IWWG). She taught at Brookdale Community College, Island Heights Artist’s Guild, Long Branch Poetry
Festival, and the annual Walt Whitman Poetry Festival in Ocean Grove. Most
recently, Paula taught journal writing workshops at Mary’s Place, a retreat at the Jersey Shore for women battling cancer.
Paula authored a book of poems entitled Tossing Off the Gloves, and a children’s book, The Blueberry Girl. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications. You may find her fiction in the North American Review, Playgirl magazine, Coast, and the Arkansas Review. Her articles and essays have appeared in Organic Gardening, Mother Earth News, Yankee magazine, Countryside, The New York Times, New Jersey Monthly, and Those Eccentric Yankees. Her poetry has been published in Barrow Street, Earth’s Daughters, Cottonwood, the Journal of New Jersey Poets, 13th Moon, Midwest Quarterly, New Renaissance, and Howl of Sorrow: a Collection of Poetry Inspired by Hurricane Sandy. Her creative nonfiction appeared in Kansas City Voices, Herstry, and recently, Snowy Egret, the Oldest Independent U.S. Journal of Nature Writing. Paula’s writings reflect her unique perspective, humor, and love of the natural world. She will be remembered fondly, not just through her written contributions, but also through the countless relationships she developed over decades participating in writers’ circles, workshops, and performances.
Paula is survived by her husband and partner of 50 years, Dr. Peter Falk, DVM, her two sons Turner (Lauren) Falk and Crosby Newcomer-Falk, four grandchildren, her niece Jennifer, and Jennifer’s son Marcus, and her brother Steven (Debbie) Newcomer. She is preceded in death by her brother, Michael Newcomer, and her parents Jean and Paul Newcomer.
Her service will be at Bloomfield Cooper Jewish Chapel located at 2130 Highway 35 Ocean, NJ 07712 (732-493-4343) on Sunday, April 28th at 10:30am.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Mary’s Place by the Sea, retreat home for women with cancer. www.marysplacebythesea.org
For those who wish to attend virtually, the funeral service will be available via Facebook Live. Scroll down to “Services” and click on the play-button labeled “Join Livestream”.
*NOTE: Viewers do not need to have a Facebook account to access the livestream. However, if a viewer attempts to access the link any time before 10:30AM on Sunday, Facebook will prompt the viewer to log in (to avoid this: viewers must wait until the link is live)
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