Clara Jane Dobbins Newton

Mrs. Clara Jane Dobbins Newton, 87, of Sarasota, FL, passed away Tuesday night, November 26, 2024, at Siesta Key Health and Rehabilitation Center in Sarasota, FL. Mrs. Newton was born September 27, 1937, in Surry County, NC, the daughter of the late Joseph Sheppard and Cora Jeanette Stanley Dobbins. A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Jane graduated from Wake Technical College in Raleigh and then dedicated her life to the service of others as a nurse. She won a four-year academic scholarship to Pfeiffer University and played on the girls’ varsity basketball team. Jane was extremely intelligent and accepted into the National Honor Society and Beta Sigma Phi sorority. Jane helped start Hospice of Surry County, NC, becoming its first director, and worked many years serving hundreds of families in their greatest time of need. She was elected to the North Carolina Board of Nursing and served as chair of the Licensure Committee. She represented the good citizens of Surry County, NC, on a state level with joy, pride, and compassion. Jane was smart, fiercely competitive, and a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She was voted the best looking in her high school senior class at Dobson High School. Jane was a devoted Christian who believed and loved the Lord, Jesus Christ, and now received the gates of heaven by family and friends. She is survived by a son, Robert Bryan Hodges, Jr. and his wife, Maria, of Sarasota, FL; and two grandchildren, Shannon Nicole Hodges of Raleigh, NC, and Josiah Hodges of Sarasota, FL. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Newton was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, William Laurence “Bill” Newton; and a brother and sister-in-law, Billy Cleve and Ruby Dobbins. A private graveside service will be held at Union Cross Baptist Church Cemetery in Elkin, NC. No formal visitation will be held. We miss and love you, Jane, and we will see you again one day! Moody Funeral Services in Mount Airy is serving the family.