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
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