Mr. Raymond D. Combs

April 11, 1926 - October 28, 2015

Raymond Dale Combs was born April 11, 1926 at the Home Hospital in Hoopeston Illinois to M. Brook and Eva A. (Absher) Combs. He played clarinet in the high school band and had a lifelong love of big band music. Ray graduated from John Greer High School at the age of 17 and was drafted into the United States Army, where he served from 1944 to 1945. He had basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and travelled to Europe on the Queen Mary, when it was used as a troop carrier. Ray was at the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Remagen Bridge with the 99th Infantry. He was wounded 3 times, and was to receive 3 purple hearts, but the building housing the paperwork was bombed and the records never recovered. He came home to Hoopeston, where he began working for Food Machinery Corporation in 1946. He worked there for 45 years, until his retirement in 1991. On June 6, 1947 he married Edith Mae Combs, and they were married 61 years, until her passing in 2008. Raymond was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Hoopeston, and in later years attended Calvary Chapel in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He enjoyed Bible study and also had a fine bass singing voice. He was an avid fan of classic films, which stemmed from a childhood of seeing nickel movies at the Lorraine Theatre in Hoopeston. He spent the last decade of his life in Green Bay, and became an ardent Packer (football) fan. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and David Reynolds of Green Bay, Wisconsin and Pamela(Ella) Combs-Larmann and Ralph Larmann of Newburgh, Indiana. He has four grandchildren, Marcus Reynolds of Lawrence, Kansas, Shannon Reynolds of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Ralph III (Tip) Larmann and Allison Larmann of Newburgh. Also surviving is Raymond’s sister Rose Tull of Champaign, Illinois. A memorial service for Ray will be held in Green Bay on Wednesday, November 4 at Hansen Funeral Home on Lime Kiln Road from 5-7 PM. Visitation and funeral services will be at Anderson Funeral Home in Hoopeston, Illinois on Friday, November 6 from 5-7 PM, and on Saturday, November 7 from 9:30-10:30 (visitation) with the service commencing at 10:30 AM. He will be laid to rest at Floral Hill Cemetery in Hoopeston.