Jeanette McCombs

A very full earthly life of Mrs. Jeanette Nora (Straub) McCombs came to an end at the age of 86 on Monday, March 18th, 2019, in Wichita, Kansas. Her life began on November 20, 1932 in the city of St. Louis, Missouri when she was born to her parents Charles Edward Leroy Straub and Effie Marie (Fahland) Straub.

Her early years were spent in the large bustling city where she was born. Jeanette attended Clay School in St. Louis for her Kindergarten and First Grade years. The young family soon moved to Carsonville, Missouri so that her father could be closer to Lambert Field where he worked as the Control Tower Operator and Assistant Airport Manager. She attended Second and Third Grades while they lived in Carsonville.

Her father moved the family to Wichita, Kansas in mid-1941 where he was hired as the Wichita Airport Manager. Jeanette attended Lowell Elementary, Roosevelt Junior High School and Wichita High School East. Jeanette started working at Orr’s Book Store across the street from East Highschool when she was about 13 years old. She later worked at the Innes Department Store in downtown Wichita during her senior year. Jeanette was a member of the Honor Society during her junior and senior years at East High School and graduated in 1950. She wanted to go to college, but was unable to save enough money.

Jeanette married Lloyd Durant McCombs on September 10, 1950 in Wichita, Kansas. They lived for a short time in Wichita before moving to Delaware County, Oklahoma near Maysville, Arkansas, where they lived on a 255 acre farm known as Du Mac Acres. They lived in a reconstructed old log cabin house and raised Angus cattle. On December 4th, 1951 their son Craig Charles McCombs was born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

After a couple of years on the farm they returned to Wichita where their son Robert Lloyd McCombs was born on October 6th, 1953. The family lived in the north west portion of the city until 1958 when they moved to 2279 S. Glenn. This home was within walking distance of an elementary and middle school for the boys. The residence became a refuge for some of the neighborhood boys and was often the site of building projects and mock battle zones. In the early 1960s the boys got active in Cub Scouts and Jeanette was a creative and enthusiastic Cub Scout Den Mother. Den meetings were held in the home, we had a US Presidents decoration at the Blue & Gold Banquet and the den won a contest that got the boys in the den a free ride in a Cessna airplane. While living on Glenn she worked at Bleier’s IGA in the bakery and for 14 years as a checker.

In July of 1968 they moved to 2228 W. Southgate in south Wichita, which was a larger home in a better neighborhood. The boys were finishing high school and starting their studies at the college level in the early 1970s. To keep herself busy with the boys gone, rabbit pens were built so that Jeanette could pursue her interest in raising rabbits. At the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson during this time period Jeanette won first, second and fifth place ribbons for her rabbits. In addition to raising rabbits she also worked hard to become a Certified Rabbit Judge.

She also had the opportunity to work at The Better Book Room, which specialized in Bibles and Bible related books. Jeanette was an avid Bible scholar and enjoyed assisting people in locating the information they were seeking. She was also one of the best Bible sales persons they ever had because she understood the differences between the different translations. She was not afraid to dive into Greek, Hebrew, Pliny the Younger or Josephus!

Jeanette also greatly enjoyed teaching children about the Bible and used lots of pictures and stories to bring Biblical history to life. For over 20 years, she and her co-teacher taught the class with much passion, excitement and energy!

Jeanette worked for Garvey Grain Elevator for several years, where she assisted in documenting the deliveries of grain and did her best to keep things moving smoothly at this large facility.

One of Jeanette’s great passions of many years was for begonias. Over the years she had become a professional on the care and propagation of begonias. For a period of time she had numerous species in her home on Southgate and was selling cuttings to clients all over the US through her “Begonia House” newsletter. She often said that plants have their own language and if you look and listen carefully you can understand what they are saying.

In about 1999 they moved to 1601 N. Brunswick in west Wichita to help take care of her aging father. This home allowed everyone in the home to have their “own space” to pursue the things that interested them and brought them enjoyment.

Their 50th Wedding Anniversary was recognized with a reception on September 10th, 2000 at Bethel Life Center in Wichita. Many old friends and acquaintances stopped by to congratulate them, catch up on what had been going on and to wish them well.

The back yard at the Brunswick home was a good place for her to express her interest and passion for roses. Over the years she learned how to grow and propagate various species of roses. She attended several Rose Society meetings in the US and helped other rose growers with her knowledge and experience. Jeanette met the requirements of the American Rose Society and was recognized as a Consulting Rosarian of the Central District in September 2002. She received several awards for her own roses and became a judge at rose competitions.

Another passion she had was writing stories about the lives of the men and women who worked at the Wichita Airport during WWII. She remembered many of the stories her father had told numerous times over the years and wanted to capture some of them in story form so that people today would get a better understanding of what happened here in Wichita during those years. She was gifted in being able to write historical fiction that would be interesting to modern readers.

Jeanette loved going to church, studying the Bible, teaching Sunday School and raising her children. She was a member of the Bethel Life Center for many years and for the last several years a member of East Evangelical Free Church.

It is easy to see that Jeanette kept busy actively pursuing the things that interested her all of her life. It is well known that, in her prime, she had only two speeds --- asleep and jet propelled!