Terry Blincoe Newman

Terry Lynn Blincoe Newman was born on May 5, 1958 and was taken way too soon on June 5, 2023. She was born in the vibrant city of Austin, Texas, where she spent all but a few years of her life and was a true Austinite. She valued her family, friends, city, and work, leaving a lasting impact on everyone she met. When Terry was 4 years old, her life was marked by the sudden loss of her father, John “Johnny” Forrest Blincoe, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for love, support, and pursuing her dreams. Growing up in Northeast Austin, Terry's family expanded when her mother Joan remarried to Rex Aubrey Smelser, bringing a new father into her life, with whom she had a lifelong close bond. She had a fulfilling teenage life, going to the lake with friends and road trips with her parents. While embracing her free-spirited nature, Terry excelled academically and graduated from LBJ High School. Following her late father Johnny’s footsteps by obtaining her degree in Accounting at UT Austin, Terry found her true passion and lifetime career. She started her career working for the "Big 8" accounting agencies in Houston before joining UT Austin Internal Audits. From there, she spent the next 34 years moving into increasingly responsible Accountant positions at UT Austin, finally retiring as Assistant Dean for the Jackson School of Geosciences, finding joy in each role she undertook. Terry also actively engaged with professional organizations such as The Texas Society of CPAs where she forged lasting friendships. When Terry met her future husband, Mark and his two year old daughter Sarah, she fell deeply in love with both of them. Terry and Mark married and she adopted Sarah as her own, then together welcomed son Austin and daughter Kayla. While her career was important, Terry's foremost priorities were loving and caring for her beloved parents, children and grandchildren. Throughout the years, she attended every event that her children and grandchildren were involved with: sports, academic competitions, acting or otherwise, constantly bestowing them with love gifts and “I love you’s”. Although always an impressively dedicated and loving daughter to her parents, one of the sweetest displays was during the pandemic, when the restrictive challenges of their senior care facility prompted her to bring them into her home to provide them with the dignified and loving care she knew they deserved. Terry loved to travel with her family. She went on countless trips with her family around the world. Notable trips include taking her WW2 history buff father Aubrey on a tour of Normandy Beach with her mom and many cruises, taking her children to Italy and on a European bus tour, yearly vacations to Mexico with friends and trips to Vermont and Montana to visit her grandchildren. Terry's capacity for love extended beyond her family, she remained close with Mark after their divorce and maintained 50 year plus friendships with many of her childhood friends. She cultivated deep bonds with countless colleagues and friends, creating a warm and nurturing environment for those around her. Throughout her life, Terry battled Familial Hypercholesterolemia, the inherited high cholesterol disease that killed her father Johnny at 31. She actively participated in the FH Foundation, advocating for advances in treatment, supporting fellow patients and securing grants for the foundation. Upon her diagnosis of Leptomeningeal disease, she bravely hosted an open house to say goodbye and extend her love to her friends. Terry's life will be honored in a service and reception at the University of Texas at Austin on July 15th. She will be remembered as a woman who embodied love, compassion, and unwavering commitment to her loved ones. Her adventurous spirit, nurturing nature, and meaningful connections left a lasting imprint. May her remarkable legacy inspire us to cherish relationships, embrace our free-spirited nature, and spread love and kindness in the world, just as Terry did throughout her extraordinary life.

Terry Blincoe Newman

May 5, 1958 - June 5, 2023