Phoebe Combs

Phoebe Combs, born on September 24, 1951, as "Nancy Ann Phoebus," passed away peacefully on March 29, 2018, surrounded by her family and friends at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, California. She was predeceased by her parents, Edward & Jennie Phoebus.

Phoebe was born in Baltimore, MD, and with her family lived in Greensburg, PA, Littleton and Salida, Colorado, and Pikesville, MD, where she graduated from High School in 1969. She went on to graduate from Western Maryland College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After teaching middle school students  at West Middle School in Carroll County, MD, she left Maryland to discover a new world in San Francisco, where she met her husband, Stephen Combs. After a career that included work in the pharmaceutical and recruitment industries, Phoebe spent the next 30 years devoted to raising her three beautiful and dynamic daughters.  With her daughters successfully launched, she rekindled her passion for teaching by mentoring young Hispanic students learning English in Sonoma, CA. 

Phoebe loved animals, political debate, hiking, educating, and laughing. Perhaps her greatest love became the Sonoma Valley, where she lived, in joy and peace, until her passing. The most beautiful thing about Phoebe is the peace she adopted from her belief in a purposeful universe, which her survivors will teach in her name for years and years to come. 

Phoebe is survived by her three daughters, Natalie Curtis, Hillary Combs-Orgeman, and Madeline Combs; her husband & best friend, Stephen Combs; her sister, Holly Vespignani; her brothers, Gary and Michael Phoebus; her grandson, Dax Curtis; her half-sister, Cynthia Wood; her cousins, Bonnie and Glen Harmon; and her twin flame, Al "Lou" Thomas. 

A memorial bench will be built in her honor on her favorite hiking trail in Sonoma. There will be an unveiling of the bench for family and friends to attend later this year.  You are welcome to donate in memory of Phoebe to Snap Cats at www.snapcats.org. This organization homed one of her beloved, special-needs cats after she passed. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Phoebe Combs, please visit our floral store.