Citadel Alumni Obituaries

Marvin William (Bill) McCombs, Jr., 92, of Statesville, N.C., died
peacefully on the evening of July 26, 2012. A native of Iredell County, he
was born on the Rock Deal Farm on the Chipley Ford Road in Statesville, NC,
on August 24, 1919, the son of the late Marvin William McCombs, Sr. and
Ollie Gantt McCombs. He and his late wife of 66years, Betty Mallory McCombs,
raised their four children in the family home on Race Street in Statesville
and were life-long members of Broad Street United Methodist Church. Bill
grew up on North Elm Street in Statesville working as a paperboy and a soda
jerk at the Playhouse Theater Soda Shop and Purcell’s Drug in his youth. At
14, he enlisted in the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Bragg for the
summer and enjoyed it so much that he continued his training there for the
next three summers. Thus began his strong sense of patriotism and love for
his country. Upon graduation from high school, he became a member of The
Citadel’s Class of ’41 where he not only studied engineering, but also was a
member of The Citadel Band. His education was interrupted, however, when he
along with his entire class, left to serve our country in World War II. At
The Citadel, a plaque is dedicated to honor his class that became know as
“”The Class That Went To War.”" He enlisted in the US Army and completed his
training at Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he
graduated from the Field Artillery School as a 2nd Lieutenant. His 740th
Field Artillery Battalion landed on Utah Beach in Normandy in July, 1944,
and later that year he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He served in
Patton’s 3rd Army where he earned five campaign stars as a Field Artillery
Battalion Reconnaissance Officer, Forward Observer, and later an
Intelligence and Field Surveying officer in the European Theater. He was
discharged as a 1st Lieutenant and came back to Charleston to complete his
education, graduating from The Citadel with a degree in civil engineering in
1947. He then moved his young family to Statesville, NC, where he lived the
remainder of his life. After working for a short while at Soule Steel
Company in Charlotte, he joined his father in the family back in Statesville
at McCombs Steel Company, and together they laid the foundation to enable
the company to become what it is today. Bill, as was common of the Greatest
Generation, was tough and honest. His integrity was the moral fiber of his
strength, and his word was solid. Affectionately known to his grandchildren
and great-grand-children as Daddy B, he was a devoted husband, father, and
grandfather who led by example, believing in a firm, yet loving hand. He was
known for his unique sense of humor, his strong patriotism, and his
meticulous attention to detail. Daddy B was a Southern gentleman possessing
a strong sense of values – those of hard work, high standards, and devotion
to his family. He was a polished writer of personal stories about growing up
in Statesville collected as his memoirs in the “”McCombs Family History,”"
and published in the Iredell Citizen’s “”Step Back In Time.”" In addition to
this, he penned “”A Tour Abroad,”" his unpublished memoirs of his experience
in WWII. He is survived by his son, M.W. (Mac) McCombs III and wife Peggy of
Mooresville, NC; his daughters, Linda Dagenhart and husband Rick of
Mooresville, NC, Catherine Gross and husband Charles of Charlottesville, VA,
and Nancy McCombs and husband Mark Tate of Cocoa Beach, FL; his
grandchildren, Mallory McCombs, M.W. (Bill) McCombs IV, Kevin Dagenhart and
wife Blair, David Dagenhart, Nicholas Gross and wife Julianne, Catherine
Deane and husband Eric; and his great grandchildren Jacob and Olivia
Dagenhart, and Michael, Elisha, and Olive Gross. The family collectively
mourns the passing of this true American Hero. His funeral service will be
held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 29, 2012, at Snow Creek United Methodist
Church with Reverend Michael Gehring and the Reverend Gervase Hitch
officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with full military
honors. The family will receive friends this evening, July 28th, at the
McCombs residence at 809 N. Race St. in Statesville from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. In
lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Citadel Foundation, Class of
’47, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409; Snow Creek United Methodist
Church, C/O Ann King Waters, 130 King Home Lane, Statesville, NC 28625;
Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County, 237 Simonton Rd.,
Statesville, NC 28625; Broad Street United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 169,
Statesville, NC 28687 or to the church or charity of one’s choice.

Tags: 1941