Gertrude Combs, 98
Gertrude "Trudy" Combs went to "sleep" peacefully from natural causes at the age of 98, in Kalispell.
She was born to Charles Royal and Ruby (Ruth) Tupper Swanson in 1925 near Liberty Bond, Washington. Myrtle Leona Gertrude "Gerti" was born at home and delivered by her father, the seventh of eight children.
While attending high school in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, she met Wilbur "Doyle" Combs who wooed her with notes in class. After moving to Lebanon, Oregon, where she graduated, she changed her name to "Trudy" during her senior year.
The courtship letters continued and she married Doyle in 1944 in San Diego, California, where he was stationed in the Navy. They enjoyed many happy years living in Oregon, Alaska and Montana.
She loved life and action including roller skating, tap dancing, tumbling, tennis, puzzles, scrabble, pinochle and music. Music was always a big part of her life, and she loved to perform and sing in crazy costumes.
There were many gatherings around the piano singing and playing old time favorites and spiritual songs which she also played at the Kingdom Hall for many years.
Her greatest love was for Jehovah God and his son, Jesus Christ, and her deep personal study of the Bible convinced her of the resurrection hope and promise of living again on Earth in a restored paradise foretold in Psalm 37:29, Revelation 21:3,4 and many other verses.
She was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on April 23, 1950, and enjoyed volunteering many hours of her time sharing this good news with others through door-to-door preaching and Bible studies.
She loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and spent time with them painting, cooking, riding bikes, feeding ducks, playing dress-up and card games.
In later years, she also took up oil painting like her mother and painted 50 oil paintings on canvas and saws, many as gifts for friends and family. She was always very friendly and would share her "life story" with any who would listen.
Trudy and Doyle enjoyed traveling on many road trips including New York, California, Florida and Alaska, plus trips to Hawaii.
She was dearly loved and will be missed by all that knew her.
She was preceded in death by all her siblings, and her husband of 73 years, Doyle.
She is survived by her children, Shirley Roberts, Larry Combs and Charlotte Campbell; grandchildren, Eric Jones, Aaron Combs, Rachael Campbell Quijada, Stacey Jones Kovalak, Briana Combs Moore, Brice Campbell, Heather Jones Westphal, Ashley Campbell, Lesliegh Campbell McDaniel; and great-grandchildren, Shannyn Christensen, Austin Alcantara, Ryker Jones, Jaxson Jones, Logan Alcantara, Kolbie Moore, Tucker Westphal, Tristan Westphal and Mateo Quijada.
Trudy and her family truly appreciated all the phone calls, letters and love and the excellent loving care from so many at Wel Life Assisted Living and Heritage Place.
Memorial services will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1414 South Woodland Avenue, Kalispell.