| Obituary |
- Don E. Combs died on June 19, 2015 at his home in Manhattan, Kansas. Don was born on June 30, 1934 in Eastern Greene County, Indiana to Lee E. Combs and Hazel (Taylor) Combs. When he was three years old, his family moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, in June of 1956.
Immediately following graduation, Don began his business career at the home office of Lincoln National Life Insurance Company of Ft. Wayne in Corporate Planning and later as a Reinsurance Representative. In 1965, Don was invited to join the Manhattan Mutual Life Insurance Company. In January of 1966 he was elected President, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, a role he held for 22 years until the merger of the company in 1988 with State Mutual Life Insurance Company of Rome, Georgia. Upon the merger, he became Executive Director of Mergers and Acquisitions for State Mutual, a position he held until his retirement in 1999.
Don’s work involved frequent and extensive travel, requiring him to be away from his family a great deal of the time, leaving the responsibility of caring for the children in Millie’s hands, a responsibility she carried out admirably!
While Don’s career was in life insurance, his greatest interest was in real estate. He especially enjoyed the work he did on the development of Sharingbrook and Windsong neighborhoods, the Optimists Ball Park and Westloop Shopping Center. He very much enjoyed his association with those in the construction and building trades and spent as much time as possible in their company.
He served as a Director at Union National Bank/Commerce Bank for thirty-five years. He also did volunteer landscape work for Sunset Zoo and enjoyed being a member of the Manhattan Garden Club. In his later years, he became very interested in the Ft. Leavenworth/Ft. Riley Military Trail through Riley, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Jefferson and Leavenworth Counties where he worked many hours erecting stone monuments with bronze plaques telling the story of the trail.
Don’s greatest pleasure in life was spending time with Millie, his loving wife of 58 years, and with his children and grandchildren.
Don was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife Millie, daughter Becky of Austin, Texas, son Lee and his wife Jan and their children Charlie and Clare Combs, all of Austin Texas, brother Edward L. Combs and his wife Martha of Brownsburg, Indiana, and sister Nancy A. (Combs) Cutshall of Bloomington, Indiana and her family.
The family will greet friends during a visitation from 6:00 until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday June 23, 2015 at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home.
Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday June 24, 2015 at the Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan, with the Rev. Ben Duerfeldt officiating.
Memorial donations can be made to the Ft. Leavenworth/Ft. Riley Military Trail Marker Fund in care of Doug Tippin at 2051 Stephen Court, Manhattan, Kansas or the Sunset Zoo Building Fund. Donations may also be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.
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1934 - 2015 (80 years)
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