Joyce Newton, the co-founder of Hoosier Racing Tire Corp., has died. She was 85.
Joyce and her husband Bob Newton started Hoosier Racing Tire in 1957 in South Bend, Ind. In a tribute to Joyce, the company says the Newtons grew Hoosier Racing Tire "into the largest producer of race tires in the world."
"The company owes its success to the vision and lean practicies that Bob and Joyce established right from the start," the company said in a post on its website. Joyce died Jan. 16, 2018.
Bob Newton died in 2012, and Joyce continued to lead the company until 2016, when the family sold the business to Continental AG. Her goal was to turn the company over to an entity that would "continue to grow the business she loved and provide long-term success."
The Newtons were well known supporters of their hometown community, and the centerpiece of their giving was Newton Park "A Place for Kids," a state-of-the-art sports complex that was begun in 1999. The Newtons also revitalized Lakeville High School into a community center.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, at Palmer Funeral Home, 601 N. Michigan St., Lakeville, Ind. To read her full obituary, click here.
