diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.c b/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.c
index f0f87663a..237b90ae2 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.c
@@ -510,21 +510,30 @@ setTypeSetFieldIn( JNIEnv* env, const CommsAddrRec* addr, jobject jTarget,
     deleteLocalRef( env, jtypset );
 }
 
+jobject
+makeObject( JNIEnv* env, const char* className, const char* initSig, ... )
+{
+    jclass clazz = (*env)->FindClass( env, className );
+    XP_ASSERT( !!clazz );
+    jmethodID mid = (*env)->GetMethodID( env, clazz, "<init>", initSig );
+    XP_ASSERT( !!mid );
+
+    va_list ap;
+    va_start( ap, initSig );
+    jobject result = (*env)->NewObjectV( env, clazz, mid, ap );
+    va_end( ap );
+
+    deleteLocalRef( env, clazz );
+    return result;
+}
+
 jobject
 makeJAddr( JNIEnv* env, const CommsAddrRec* addr )
 {
     jobject jaddr = NULL;
     if ( NULL != addr ) {
-        jclass clazz
-            = (*env)->FindClass(env, PKG_PATH("jni/CommsAddrRec") );
-        XP_ASSERT( !!clazz );
-        jmethodID mid = getMethodID( env, clazz, "<init>", "()V" );
-        XP_ASSERT( !!mid );
-
-        jaddr = (*env)->NewObject( env, clazz, mid );
+        jaddr = makeObject( env, PKG_PATH("jni/CommsAddrRec"), "()V" );
         setJAddrRec( env, jaddr, addr );
-
-        deleteLocalRef( env, clazz );
     }
     return jaddr;
 }
@@ -580,12 +589,8 @@ jobject
 addrTypesToJ( JNIEnv* env, const CommsAddrRec* addr )
 {
     XP_ASSERT( !!addr );
-    jclass cls = 
-        (*env)->FindClass( env, PKG_PATH("jni/CommsAddrRec$CommsConnTypeSet") );
-    XP_ASSERT( !!cls );
-    jmethodID initId = (*env)->GetMethodID( env, cls, "<init>", "()V" );
-    XP_ASSERT( !!initId );
-    jobject result = (*env)->NewObject( env, cls, initId );
+    jobject result = makeObject( env, PKG_PATH("jni/CommsAddrRec$CommsConnTypeSet"),
+                                 "()V" );
     XP_ASSERT( !!result );
 
     jmethodID mid2 = getMethodID( env, result, "add", 
@@ -600,7 +605,6 @@ addrTypesToJ( JNIEnv* env, const CommsAddrRec* addr )
         (*env)->CallBooleanMethod( env, result, mid2, jtyp );
         deleteLocalRef( env, jtyp );
     }
-    deleteLocalRef( env, cls );
     return result;
 }
 
@@ -708,14 +712,9 @@ intToJenumField( JNIEnv* env, jobject jobj, int val, const char* field,
 
     jobject jenum = (*env)->GetObjectField( env, jobj, fid );
     if ( !jenum ) {       /* won't exist in new object */
-        jclass clazz = (*env)->FindClass( env, fieldSig );
-        XP_ASSERT( !!clazz );
-        jmethodID mid = getMethodID( env, clazz, "<init>", "()V" );
-        XP_ASSERT( !!mid );
-        jenum = (*env)->NewObject( env, clazz, mid );
+        jenum = makeObject( env, fieldSig, "()V" );
         XP_ASSERT( !!jenum );
         (*env)->SetObjectField( env, jobj, fid, jenum );
-        deleteLocalRef( env, clazz );
     }
 
     jobject jval = intToJEnum( env, val, fieldSig );
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.h b/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.h
index 935d6a89a..d31636d17 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.h
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/andutils.h
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ jbyteArray streamToBArray( JNIEnv *env, XWStreamCtxt* stream );
 jmethodID getMethodID( JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, const char* proc,
                        const char* sig );
 
+jobject makeObject( JNIEnv* env, const char* className, const char* initSig, ... );
+
 jobject makeJAddr( JNIEnv* env, const CommsAddrRec* addr );
 jobject setJAddrRec( JNIEnv* env, jobject jaddr, const CommsAddrRec* addr );
 void getJAddrRec( JNIEnv* env, CommsAddrRec* addr, jobject jaddr );
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/drawwrapper.c b/xwords4/android/jni/drawwrapper.c
index a461803a6..1c8f25845 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/drawwrapper.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/drawwrapper.c
@@ -60,14 +60,11 @@ makeJRect( AndDraw* draw, JNIEnv* env, int indx, const XP_Rect* rect )
     int bottom = rect->top + rect->height;
 
     if ( !robj ) {
-        jclass rclass = (*env)->FindClass( env, "android/graphics/Rect");
-        jmethodID initId = (*env)->GetMethodID( env, rclass, "<init>", 
-                                                "(IIII)V" );
-        robj = (*env)->NewObject( env, rclass, initId, rect->left, rect->top,
-                                  right, bottom );
+        robj = makeObject(env, "android/graphics/Rect", "(IIII)V",
+                          rect->left, rect->top, right, bottom );
                  
         draw->jCache[indx] = (*env)->NewGlobalRef( env, robj );
-        deleteLocalRefs( env, robj, rclass, DELETE_NO_REF );
+        deleteLocalRef( env, robj );
         robj = draw->jCache[indx];
     } else {
         setInt( env, robj, "left", rect->left );
@@ -187,12 +184,10 @@ makeDSI( AndDraw* draw, XWEnv xwe, int indx, const DrawScoreInfo* dsi )
     jobject dsiobj = draw->jCache[indx];
 
     if ( !dsiobj ) {
-        jclass rclass = (*env)->FindClass( env, PKG_PATH("jni/DrawScoreInfo") );
-        jmethodID initId = (*env)->GetMethodID( env, rclass, "<init>", "()V" );
-        dsiobj = (*env)->NewObject( env, rclass, initId );
+        dsiobj = makeObject( env, PKG_PATH("jni/DrawScoreInfo"), "()V" );
 
         draw->jCache[indx] = (*env)->NewGlobalRef( env, dsiobj );
-        deleteLocalRefs( env, rclass, dsiobj, DELETE_NO_REF );
+        deleteLocalRef( env, dsiobj );
         dsiobj = draw->jCache[indx];
     }
 
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c b/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
index 10e9ab3df..00e4c3341 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
@@ -856,17 +856,13 @@ and_dutil_onInviteReceived( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv xwe, const NetLaunchInfo* n
     DUTIL_CBK_HEADER( "onInviteReceived", "(L" PKG_PATH("NetLaunchInfo") ";)V" );
 
     /* Allocate a new NetLaunchInfo */
-    jclass cls = (*env)->FindClass( env, PKG_PATH("NetLaunchInfo") );
-    XP_ASSERT( !!cls );
-    jmethodID initId = (*env)->GetMethodID( env, cls, "<init>", "()V" );
-    XP_ASSERT( !!initId );
-    jobject jnli = (*env)->NewObject( env, cls, initId );
+    jobject jnli = makeObject( env, PKG_PATH("NetLaunchInfo"), "()V" );
     XP_ASSERT( !!jnli );
     setNLI( env, jnli, nli );
 
     (*env)->CallVoidMethod( env, dutil->jdutil, mid, jnli );
 
-    deleteLocalRefs( env, jnli, cls, DELETE_NO_REF );
+    deleteLocalRef( env, jnli );
     DUTIL_CBK_TAIL();
 }