J.F. "Doc" Combs

J.F. “Doc” Combs, 80, of Moody passed away Saturday, January 4, 2020 in a Temple nursing home.  Funeral services will be at 2 pm Thursday, Jan. 9, at First Baptist Church of Moody.  Visitation will be at 1 pm at the church prior to the service. Burial will be at 10 am Friday, Jan. 10, at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Building Fund at First Baptist Church of Moody.

Doc was born December 12, 1939, in Neosho, Missouri, to Reba Noblin and Foley Combs. He joined the Navy after graduating from Neosho High School in 1958, and served 20 years as a Hospital Corpsman including 2 tours in Vietnam, achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

After retiring from the Navy in 1978, Doc and Carolyn Smith Combs, married since Jan. 6, 1972, returned with their family to Moody where they enjoyed raising cows, chickens, goats, dogs, and horses.  Doc was skilled at training retrievers, horses, and mules.  He especially enjoyed driving a team of horses or mules pulling his covered wagon for trail rides and in the Moody Cotton Harvest Festival parade.

Doc was licensed and ordained to preach while still serving in the Navy, and after his retirement he attended and graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He pastored Baptist churches at Jonesboro and Oglesby, and served as a Sunday School teacher and Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Moody.  He and Carolyn then served as Mission Service Corps and Life Call Mission volunteers, spending their summers serving in Colorado and Arizona in resort missions until Carolyn became ill and passed away.

Doc married Gloria Eakin McGregor November 25, 2007, and continued to preach whenever he had the opportunity.  He and Gloria enjoyed traveling, spending time with their combined families, playing card and domino games, and serving in their church.  Doc also enjoyed hunting and fishing, target shooting, and teaching his kids and grandkids to shoot guns safely.

Doc is survived by wife Gloria Combs, sisters Ruth, Carolyn, Pat, and brother Bill, by children Debbie and Ronnie Lewis, Vicki Brown, Denise Combs, Douglas and Erin Perkins, Kyle and Jennifer McGregor, and Kelly McGregor, by grandchildren Kim, Sarah, Josh, Rachel, Andrew, Caitlyn, Colton, Kinsey, Macy, Meg, Maggie, Ethan, Marie, Aaron, Nicole, Cody, and by great-grandchildren Jamison, Jonathan, Jackson, and Keller Louise.