Earl Combs, 75
On Oct. 23, 2020, Earl Combs passed from this world into eternity with the Lord Jesus, whom he served all of his life. Earl lived 75 years and fought a valiant battle against pulmonary fibrosis. We will miss a loving, devoted husband, a wonderful father, a precious grandfather, a loyal friend and a great example of a Christian business man.
He was known for his charismatic personality and contagious laughter. He never met a person he couldn’t engage in conversation with. He was always excited to share his vast knowledge and life experiences on how to build a sustainable future for family and friends.
Even toward the end of his life, Earl worked as hard as he could to teach his children and grandchildren how to not only be successful, but self-reliant. People were drawn to him because of his rare personality; his was a true friendship.
Earl was born on Feb. 25, 1945, in Oklahoma City, Okla., to Carl and Opal Combs. He grew up in Merced, Calif., until he graduated high school in 1963. He moved to the greater Santa Cruz area in 1964 to attend Bethany Bible College, and there he met and fell in love with his partner for life, Sonie, and they were married in 1965.
Soon after, Earl began more than 50 years of successful business ventures in multiple industries. From 1964-1976 in Santa Cruz, he and Sonie built a hair salon brand that quickly became known for award-winning quality and world-class training. In 1976 he moved to Turlock, Calif., where he continued to see uncanny success in farming, salon ownership, real estate finance and real estate capitalism. In 2001 he moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where he retired.
If you knew Earl, you know that he loved action and to work toward a goal of enriching his family and the lives of those around him. In 2010 he opened a successful, multi-site yogurt store called “Top This Frozen Yogurt.” Over the next eight years he made a tangible impact in his local community and the lives of the young people who worked for him.
Earl had many titles throughout his life, but the names he valued above all else was “Dad” and “Grandpa.” Anyone who met him knew his greatest accomplishment and greatest joy was his family. Our world will never be the same without Earl, but the world was forever changed because of him and what he did for us. Our loss is Heaven’s gain, but one day we will be together again.
Earl is survived by his loving, life-long partner, Sonie Combs; his daughter and son-in-law, Nichole and Joel McGivney and their children, Caleb, Victoria, Hailey and Keira; his son and daughter-in-law, Tyler and Allison Combs and their children, Joshua, Halle and Micah.
Earl’s celebration of life will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2020, at Lake City Church, 6000 N. Ramsey Road, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815. The service will be streaming for those who cannot attend in person. https://www.facebook.com/sonie.combs.5
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to River International https://app.clovergive.com/app/Giving/clodo-riverinternational
OR
Lake City Church Women’s Ministry https://lakecity.churchcenter.com/giving
