Samuel “Epa” Stanley Combs, 78, died Wednesday, April 2, 2014, in Wake Med Cary Hospital in Raleigh, NC.
Stan was born in Charleston, WV, to the late Samuel Morris Combs and Freda Maynard Combs.
He grew up on a farm near Lewisburg, WV, and attended his beloved Greenbrier Military School and then attended The Citadel in Charleston, SC. This is where he met and married Betty Olearcyzk. They reared three wonderful and successful children. Stanley loved fishing and was a history buff. He particularly enjoyed history of his hometown, Lewisburg, and the Civil War – he knew it all. He was a loving father, grandfather, and brother. He was a devoted friend of his cousins, John, Carolyn, and Steven Combs, all formerly of Lewisburg.
Stan was employed with North Carolina Bank and later retired from Lowe’s Home Improvement Store. He was a member of the Greenbrier Military School Alumni Association. He served in the Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. He is survived by his two daughters, Dedriah Combs Simpson of Cary, NC, and Kevin Michelle Phelan and husband, Bryan, of Holly Springs, NC; his son, Samuel Martin Combs of Greenville, NC; grandchildren, Eryn Simpson and Patrick and Christopher Phelan; sisters, Mary Lou Stockard and husband, Bill, of Nashville, TN, and Suzanne Pyle of Madison, WI; aunt, Mary (Harrison) Combs of Albuquerque, NM; special friends, Judy and Mary; many classmates at GMS; and “His Angel” caregiver, Peggy Scott, RN.
A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at Calvary Methodist Church in Richlands, WV.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to the GMS Alumni Association, Inc., P.O. Box 922, Lewisburg, WV 24901, or to the Calvary Methodist Church, Richlands, WV 27901.
Condolences may be made to www.montlawn.com. Montlawn Funeral Home, 2911 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC, is in charge of arrangements
Obituary originally published in the May 16, 2014 edition of the West Virginia Daily News.
