‘Everybody knew Jerry’: Elgin barber a staple of city’s downtown for six decades

Elgin barber Jerry Newman is remembered by friends and customers as a fixture of the city’s downtown, quick with a smile and a wave for anyone who walked by his shop window on Chicago Street for six decades.

Newman, who owned Central Barber Shop for 60 years, died Jan. 15. He was 81.

Downtown business owner Brandon Yaniz was the fourth generation of his family to get their haircut by Newman.

“He was a very nice and charming guy,” Yaniz said. “Everybody knew Jerry.”

Yaniz said one of the unique things about their friendship was that Newman was able to share many fond memories he had about Yaniz’s great-grandfather, who died before Yaniz was born.

“I was raised with so many stories from Jerry about my great-grandpa that I feel like I knew him,” Yaniz said.

Newman was an avid outdoorsman and loved hunting and fishing. He was an active member of the Aurora Gun Club, the Elgin Rifle Club and the National Rifle Association.

“He was passionate about sports shooting and gun ownership, and more than happy to tell anybody that disagreed with him not that they were wrong, but why they were wrong,” Yaniz said with a laugh.

Elgin City Councilman Steve Thoren said Newman was a longtime friend who knew everybody in downtown Elgin.

“Jerry was the type of person that had no enemies, only friends he hadn’t met yet,” Thoren said. “He loved Elgin and always had a big smile for everyone. Everybody liked him.”

Newman was born in Elgin, graduated from Sycamore High School in 1961 and studied at Northern Illinois University.

Newman is remembered for being dedicated to his customers, coming in early or staying late if someone needed a haircut. He also did what he could to save the parking spots in front of his shop for older customers who had trouble walking.

Dan Symonds, who owns Symonds-Madison Funeral Home, was a customer of Newman’s for years.

“Whenever I’d walk in and he was cutting someone else’s hair, he’d say, ‘Ahh, the undertaker is here.’ Then he’d tap the guy whose hair he was cutting and say, ‘Be careful, he’s measuring you for a coffin,’” Symonds said. “He was an awesome dude.”

In his youth, Newman enjoyed drag racing and worked as a certified GM mechanic. He was also an avid sports fan who enjoyed watching the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Blackhawks and Oklahoma State Football. He enjoyed all varieties of music, had a passion for Cummins turbo diesel motors and loved an extra rare prime rib.

Newman was laid to rest at Dundee Township Cemetery East on Monday.