Obituary of Christine Adele Combs

Sunday, January 8, 2012 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Funeral Alternatives of Washington 2830 Willamette Drive NE Lacey, WA 98516 Christine Adele (Johnson) Combs Christine passed away from liver cancer on January 3, 2012 in Centralia, Washington, at age 59. She was born February 13, 1952 to Harold and Elenor Johnson in Westby, Montana. She graduated from high school in Westby, and received an associate degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Centralia College in 1993. On December 9, 1988, she married Clinton Combs in Centralia, where she had been living since 1979. Christine loved life and was quick to laugh and joke around. She made friends easily and treasured them forever. She enjoyed staying in touch with friends and family over the phone, and often kept people on the line for hours at a time. Her husband, children and grandchildren were a central part of her life. She loved family gatherings, cooking, and cleaning her house so it was always presentable when folks dropped in. She also loved to sing and dance, to ride motorcycles with her husband, and to spend time during the summer sitting on the front porch or on the bench by the pond with her children and grandchildren. Bingo was a favorite pastime, and she also enjoyed going to Reno with her husband. With her great love of people, it was a natural choice for Christine to be a Certified Nursing Assistant for more than 20 years. Christine is survived by her husband, Clinton; daughters, Deanna Johnson of El Paso, TX, Monica Kelley of Centralia, Crystal Duger of Mukilteo, WA, Tammy Santiago of Centralia, Diana Rhodes of Cinnabar, WA, Heidi Hendrickson of Tumwater, WA, and April Kalich of Olympia, WA; son, Clay Combs of Chehalis; 22 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; brothers, Dick (Doreen) Johnson of Westby, MT, Carl (Lavonne) Johnson of Butte, MT, and Keith Johnson of Plentywood, MT; sisters, Marian (Roger) Paulson of Wiliston, ND, Carol Christianson of Longview, WA, Betty (Ronald) Boucher of Centralia, Kathy (Mike) Linch of Great Falls, MT, and Cindy (Robert) Sanderson of Portland, ND. Christine was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Elenor Johnson; grandparents, Carl and Louis Johnson; brother, Bob Johnson; and nephews, Timmy Johnson, Mark Johnson, and Ernesto Garcia. Memorial donations in Christine’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.StJude.org. Visitation is scheduled for Sunday, January 8, 2012, between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Funeral Alternatives of Washington, 2830 Willamette Drive NE, Lacey, WA 98516. A celebration of life will be held Monday, January 9, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1209 N. Scheuber Road, Centralia, WA 98531. A pot luck reception at Borst Park will follow the Monday service. Please leave memories of Christine or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.