Genealogy Wylie » Judge Herchel Preston Combest [Wk] "Butch" (1938-2008)

Sources

1. World Family Tree Vol. 5, Ed. 1, Broderbund Software, Inc., Tree #0725

   Date of Import: Dec 26, 1999

2. combest.FTW

   Date of Import: Dec 26, 1999

3. Newsbank.com, March 27, 2012

   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) - August 8, 2008
   Deceased Name: Combest
   PITTSBURG - Judge Preston Combest, 70, died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008, in Pittsburg.
   Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Emmanuel Baptist Church with the Rev. Kyle Smith officiating, assisted by Bob Jones and Bro. Virgil Faires. Interment will follow at Bogata Cemetery under the direction of Erman Smith Funeral Home.
   Judge Combest was born on May 26, 1938, in Longview, the son of Harvey Patrick and Euphria Grace Tipps Combest. He was the eighth of their 10 children. Known to close friends as "Butch", he attended Judson Grove schools. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy where he served aboard the USS Cadmus in the Atlantic. He later attended Kilgore College and Texas Tech University. He worked at Trailmobile, Inc and Udell Industries, later going to Air Products & Chemical at Lone Star where he worked for 19 years. He was a real estate broker and owned his own construction firm before becoming Camp County Judge where he served for 14 years. He was ordained as a deacon in 1962, and on the deacon board at Emmanuel Baptist Church where he was a member since 1973. He served on many different boards and clubs that included: Ore City School Board, the Board of Trustees of the Pittsburg M & S Hospital (now ETMC-Pittsburg), the Appraisal Review Board, East Texas Council of Governments, Pittsburg Camp County Museum Association, Pittsburg Rotary Club and many other areas of service.
   He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Toni (Nona Hawkins) Combest of Pittsburg; son and daughter-in-law, Clint Preston and Julie Combest of Hughes Springs; four daughters and two sons-in-law, Melanie Annette and Becky Baxley, of Hallsville, Stacey Lynn and Tim Stansbury of Las Colinas, and Amber Delight and Rusty Ramsey of Pittsburg; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Lucille York Hawkins Childers; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Mildred Louise Case of Lufkin and Evelyn Grace and C. P. "Buddy" Miller of Longview; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Horace Edwin Combest of Pittsburg and David Ray and Judy Combest of Longview; sisters-in-law, Geraldine Combest of Longview, Jan McCuller of Mount Pleasant, Cheryl Rogers and husband Wayne of Detroit, and Wanda Combest of Winfield, La.; and a host of friends and relatives.
   He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Patricia Ann Combest; and four brothers, Floyd Lee Combest, Felton Eugene Combest, Wallace Wayne Combest and Joe Dean Combest.
   The family will receive friends from 6 - 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, at the funeral home.
   Memorials may be made tothe Broach Park Recreational Complex, 126 Church Street, Pittsburg, Texas 75686; Cypress Basin Hospice, P. O. Box 544, Mount Pleasant, Texas 75456; or Emmanuel Baptist Church, 307 Elm Street, Pittsburg, Texas 75686.
   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) Date: August 8, 2008Record Number: /mpd/raw/articles/2008/08/08/obituaries/00obituaries01.txtCopyright 2008, Palmer Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
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   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) - August 8, 2008
   Deceased Name: Colleagues remember Judge Preston Combest
   Positive, deeply religious and dedicated to his family n those are just a few ways friends are remembering Camp County Judge Preston Combest, who died Wednesday night after a one-year battle with cancer.
   "His family, that was it for him," said James Jordan, ministry leader at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pittsburg, where Combest was a member since moving to Pittsburg in 1973. "They were so important to one another."
   "He was very active. He was a great man n honest, supportive of the staff and just great. He had a lot of wisdom and he loved the old church hymns…he even sang a couple of specials for us in recent years," Jordan recalled.
   On Thursday, black ribbons adorned doors leading into the Camp County Courthouse, marking the death of a man who many said will leave behind a lasting legacy after his 14 years in office.
   Combest, known to many close friends as "Butch" was born May 26, 1938 in Longview.
   He attended Judson Grove schools before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. He later attended Kilgore College and took classes from Texas Tech University.
   Combest took on a number of jobs during his lifetime, working as a real estate broker and owning his own construction firm before being elected Camp County judge nearly 14 years ago.
   On Thursday, county officials recalled a leader who was passionate and always working for the taxpayers.
   Among his most recent projects was the construction of Broach Park Recreational Complex.
   "He was very passionate about that park. It's sad he won't see the completion of it," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Shelton, who said the park is about 95 percent complete.
   Vicki Petree, who worked as Combest's assistant during his tenure as judge, said Combest wanted to build a county park to leave behind something not only for his grandchildren, but for all Camp County children.
   "That would not have happened without him," Petree said. "I think he thought of it as an asset to the county and something that could be enjoyed for years to come. It was good for the county."
   Combest, along with county commissioners, also worked hard to acquire the courthouse annex, to establish the Revolving Loan Fund, and obtained several grants to help better the county over past dozen years.
   Shelton said Combest helped bring the county into the 21st century.
   Shelton, along with Precinct 4 Commissioner Vernon Griffin were personal friends with the judge.
   "I've been knowing Preston for 40 years," Griffin said. "We coached at little league together. He was find upstanding man, very committed to his job and his community."
   Shelton added Combest, an avid hunter, fisher and golfer, "lived and breathed his family."
   Combest is survived by his wife of 48 years, Toni (Nona Hawkins) Combest; a son, Clint Preston Combest and wife, Julie, of Hughes Springs; daughters, Melanie Annette and Becky Baxley of Hallsville, Stacey Lynn and husband, Tim Stansbury, of Las Colinas, and Amber Delight and husband, Rusty Ramsey, of Pittsburg; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
   Having been saved as a young boy at a Billy Graham Crusade, Combest was ordained as a Baptist deacon in 1962 and served on the deacon board at Emmanuel Baptist Church where he has been a member since moving to Pittsburg in 1973.
   Combest served on as a trustee of the Pittsburg M & S Hospital, now known as ETMC-Pittsburg, East Texas Council of Governments, Pittsburg Camp County Museum Association, Pittsburg Rotary Club, and many others
   Services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pittsburg under the direction of Erman Smith Funeral Home of Pittsburg with Rev. Kyle Smith officiating, assisted by Bob Jones and Bro. Virgil Faires.
   Burial will follow the service at Bogata Cemetery in Bogata. Visitation with the family will be between 6 and 8 p.m. tonight at the funeral home.
   Memorials may be made to Broach Park Recreational Complex 126 Church Street Pittsburg, Texas 75686, Cypress Basin Hospice P.O. Box 544 Mount Pleasant, Texas 75456, or Emmanuel Baptist Church 307 Elm Street Pittsburg, Texas 75686.
   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) Date: August 8, 2008Author: ASHLEY TOMPKINS - Tribune City EditorRecord Number: /mpd/raw/articles/2008/08/08/news/02.txtCopyright 2008, Palmer Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
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   Longview News-Journal (TX) - August 8, 2008
   Deceased Name: Honorable Judge Preston Combest
   PITTSBURG - Honorable Camp County Judge H. Preston Combest went home to be with the Lord on August 7, 2008, at his home in Pittsburg, Texas, surrounded by his loving family.
   He was born May 26, 1938, in Longview, Texas, to Harvey Patrick and Euphria Grace Tipps Combest.
   Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 48 years, Toni (Nona Hawkins) Combest; son, Clint Preston and wife, Julie Combest of Hughes Springs; daughters, Melanie Annette and Becky Baxley of Hallsville, Stacey Lynn and husband, Tim Stansbury of Las Colinas, and Amber Delight and husband, Rusty Ramsey of Pittsburg; 14 grandchildren, Chellyn, Cheston, Shaina, Ashley K., Cayli, Ashley N., Lauren, Kerry, Caitlyn, Brooke, Chase, Kyle, Calli and Connor; two great-grandchildren, Alexa and Cade; his mother-in-law, Lucille York Hawkins Childers; sisters, Mildred Louise Case of Lufkin, and Evelyn Grace and C.P. "Buddy" Miller of Longview; two brothers, Horace Edwin Combest of Pittsburg, and David Ray Combest and wife, Judy of Longview; and sisters-in-law, Geraldine Combest of Longview, Jan McCuller of Mount Pleasant, Cheryl and Wayne Rogers of Detroit, and Wanda Combest of Winfield, La.
   He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Patricia Ann Combest; and brothers, Floyd Lee Combest, Felton Eugene Combest, Wallace Wayne Combest and Joe Dean Combest.
   Judge Combest, known to many close friends as "Butch," attended Judson Grove schools all 12 years. Soon afterwards, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served aboard the U.S.S. Cadmus in the Atlantic.
   Later, he attended Kilgore Junior College with additional classes from Texas Tech, worked at Trailmobile, Inc., and Udell Industries, before going to Air Products and Chemicals at their Lone Star facility where he worked from the time it was built there until the company moved from that location 19 years later. In addition, he was a real estate broker and owned his own construction firm before becoming Camp County Judge where he served with honor and dedication for 14 years.
   He had a deep abiding faith in the Lord, having been saved at a Billy Graham Crusade as a young boy. He was ordained as a Baptist deacon in 1962, and was on the deacon board at Emmanuel Baptist Church where he has been a member since moving to Pittsburg in 1973. He had held many offices and teaching positions in the churches he had attended.
   His love for his communities was evident as serving on the Ore City School Board, the board of trustees of the Pittsburg M&S Hospital, now known as ETMC-Pittsburg, The Appraisal Review Board, East Texas Council of Governments, Pittsburg Camp County Museum Association, Pittsburg Rotary Club and many other areas of service. He was involved in boys baseball and girls softball, enjoyed hunting, fishing and golf, and he was a devoted Christian family man.
   Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 9, 2008, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pittsburg, under the direction of Erman Smith Funeral Home of Pittsburg, with the Rev. Kyle Smith officiating, assisted by Bob Jones and Brother Virgil Faires. Burial will follow the services in Bogata Cemetery of Bogata, Texas.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Broach Park Recreational Complex, 126 Church St., Pittsburg, TX 75686; Cypress Basin Hospice, P.O. Box 544, Mount Pleasant, TX 75456; or Emmanuel Baptist Church, 307 Elm St., Pittsburg, TX 75686.
   Visitation with the family will be between 6-8 p.m. this evening, August 8, 2008, at the Erman Smith Funeral Home.
   Longview News-Journal (TX) Date: August 8, 2008Record Number: 1663590(c) 2008 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - Longview News-Journal
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   Longview News-Journal (TX) - August 8, 2008
   Deceased Name: Preston Combest : Camp County judge dies
   Camp County commissioners met in emergency session Thursday morning to appoint a new county judge after Judge Preston Combest died during the night after a one-year battle with cancer, officials said. County Constable Thomas Cravey was unanimously appointed to the position.
   
   "I appreciate the confidence the commissioners showed in appointing me to the position, but I regret the circumstances that made the appointment necessary," Cravey said.
   
   Commissioners will consider appointing someone to fill the constable vacancy at a meeting at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Both appointments will be effective until an election is held. Parties will submit a nominee for the November election, Cravey said.
   
   Cravey has worked in law enforcement for Camp County since 1985, he said. He held various positions in the sheriff's office until 2004 when he was appointed constable. Cravey said he worked closely with Combest during those years, but had known him since the 1970s.
   
   "I considered (Combest) to be a personal friend as well as a colleague," Cravey said. "He was a person of integrity - a person you could depend on."
   
   Combest, 70, served as county judge for more than 13 years. Before that he worked as a real estate broker and owned a construction company, according to his obituary.
   
   Combest was born May 26, 1938, in Longview. He attended Judson Grove schools and enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduation. He later attended Kilgore College and took classes from Texas Tech University.
   
   In 1962, Combest became a deacon andhe served on the deacon board at Emmanuel Baptist Church, which he attended since 1973.
   
   Combest worked closely on the Broach Park Recreation Complex project, said Vicki Petree, who works in the county judge's office. Combest helped obtain a grant for the park, which is near completion.
   
   Memorials may be made to Broach Park Recreational Complex, 126 Church St. Pittsburg, TX 75686.
   
   Combest's funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pittsburg. Burial will be in Bogata Cemetery.
   
   Combest is survived by his wife of 48 years, Toni (Nona Hawkins) Combest; a son, Clint Preston Combest and wife, Julie, of Hughes Springs; daughters, Melanie Annette and Becky Baxley of Hallsville, Stacey Lynn and husband, Tim Stansbury, of Las Colinas, and Amber Delight and husband, Rusty Ramsey, of Pittsburg; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
   
   Longview News-Journal (TX)
   Date: August 8, 2008
   Record Number: 6052431
   (c) 2008 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - Longview News-Journal
   
   
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   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) - August 7, 2008
   Deceased Name: Camp County Judge Preston Combest dies
   Friends and family today are mourning the death of Camp County Judge Preston Combest who died Wednesday night.
   Combest, who served as judge for 13 years and four months, had battled cancer for the past year, according to one county commissioner.
   Black ribbons adorned doors leading into the courthouse, marking the death of a judge who many said will leave behind a lasting legacy.
   "He was a very positive and very progressive person who moved our county into the 21st century," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Shelton. "He, with the commissioners' court, accomplished a lot of good things for the county. He was a tireless worker for the taxpayers of Camp County."
   More than a dozen county workers and friends filled the county courtroom this morning during an emergency meeting. After taking a moment of silence to honor Combest, commissioners unanimously named Camp County Constable Thomas Cravey as the new judge.
   Cravey was sworn into office this morning by Shelton and will immediately take on his new role.
   "I appreciate the confidence you have in me in appointing me to this position. I know there will be some changes for all of us to adjust to the void that Judge Combest leaves," Cravey said. "I think most of all right now we need to be concerned about the Combest family. I just ask that you join with me in remembering them."
   The new judge said the now vacant constable position would be filled at a later time.
   Shelton said commissioners were contacted by several parties interested in the judge's position, but that the court chose Cravey because of his experience in law enforcement and understanding of the law.
   Combest was last re-elected to office in 2006. The Camp County Democratic Party will pick a nominee to be included on the November ballot.
   Shelton said commissioners had been somewhat prepared for Combest's passing.
   "He had taken treatments and had a clear bill of health there for a while and then the cancer came back," Shelton said. "We had known for about a month. He had been in hospice for about the past two weeks, so we knew it was terminal."
   Combest leaves behind his wife Toni and four children, Melanie Combest, Clint Combest, Stacey Stansbury and Amber Ramsey.
   Visitation and funeral arrangements were not known as of press time.
   Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune (TX) Date: August 7, 2008Author: ASHLEY TOMPKINS - Tribune City EditorRecord Number: /mpd/raw/articles/2008/08/07/news/01.txtCopyright 2008, Palmer Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

4. Obituaries, November 11, 2013

   Combest
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   Posted: Friday, August 8, 2008 12:00 am
   
   
   
   
   
   
   PITTSBURG — Judge Preston Combest, 70, died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008, in Pittsburg.
   
   Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Emmanuel Baptist Church with the Rev. Kyle Smith officiating, assisted by Bob Jones and Bro. Virgil Faires. Interment will follow at Bogata Cemetery under the direction of Erman Smith Funeral Home.
   
   
   
   The Villas
   
   Judge Combest was born on May 26, 1938, in Longview, the son of Harvey Patrick and Euphria Grace Tipps Combest. He was the eighth of their 10 children. Known to close friends as “Butch”, he attended Judson Grove schools. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy where he served aboard the USS Cadmus in the Atlantic. He later attended Kilgore College and Texas Tech University. He worked at Trailmobile, Inc and Udell Industries, later going to Air Products & Chemical at Lone Star where he worked for 19 years. He was a real estate broker and owned his own construction firm before becoming Camp County Judge where he served for 14 years. He was ordained as a deacon in 1962, and on the deacon board at Emmanuel Baptist Church where he was a member since 1973. He served on many different boards and clubs that included: Ore City School Board, the Board of Trustees of the Pittsburg M & S Hospital (now ETMC-Pittsburg), the Appraisal Review Board, East Texas Council of Governments, Pittsburg Camp County Museum Association, Pittsburg Rotary Club and many other areas of service.
   
   He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Toni (Nona Hawkins) Combest of Pittsburg; son and daughter-in-law, Clint Preston and Julie Combest of Hughes Springs; four daughters and two sons-in-law, Melanie Annette and Becky Baxley, of Hallsville, Stacey Lynn and Tim Stansbury of Las Colinas, and Amber Delight and Rusty Ramsey of Pittsburg; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Lucille York Hawkins Childers; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Mildred Louise Case of Lufkin and Evelyn Grace and C. P. “Buddy” Miller of Longview; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Horace Edwin Combest of Pittsburg and David Ray and Judy Combest of Longview; sisters-in-law, Geraldine Combest of Longview, Jan McCuller of Mount Pleasant, Cheryl Rogers and husband Wayne of Detroit, and Wanda Combest of Winfield, La.; and a host of friends and relatives.
   
   He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Patricia Ann Combest; and four brothers, Floyd Lee Combest, Felton Eugene Combest, Wallace Wayne Combest and Joe Dean Combest.
   
   The family will receive friends from 6 — 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, at the funeral home.
   
   Memorials may be made tothe Broach Park Recreational Complex, 126 Church Street, Pittsburg, Texas 75686; Cypress Basin Hospice, P. O. Box 544, Mount Pleasant, Texas 75456; or Emmanuel Baptist Church, 307 Elm Street, Pittsburg, Texas 75686.

Historical events

• Birthday May 26, 1938
• Day of death August 7, 2008
• Day of burial August 9, 2008

Same birth/death day

• Also born on May 26
• Also died on August 7

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