"County Pioneer Dies at Little Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Little Chapel for Mrs. Lenora Jane Combs, 95-year old pioneer resident of seminole county. Mrs. Combs, born Aug. 24, 1859 in Arkansas, moved to Seminole County in 1900 and has lived in the Little Community since that time. She died Thursday at the home of a daughter, Mrs Rilla Chesser, near Little. Rev. George Dickey, Shawnee, will officiate at the services. Burial will be in Little cemetery under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral home of Prague. Survivors include four sons, V.R. Lane and Tom Lane, both of route three, Seminole, Burl Lane of Ada and Buford Lane of Snyder, Tex.; four daughters, Mrs. Chesser; Mrs. Callie Jordon and Mrs. Mamie Aldridge, all of route Three, Seminole and Mrs. Pearl Miller, Ada; one sister, Mrs. Charity Grimes, Wynnewood; 31 grandchildren, 95 great-grandchildren and 34 great-great-grandchildren. Bearers will be Frank Lane, Loy Little, Lawrence Snowden, Billy Miller, Herbert Aldrich and Hugh Jordan." 

Obit: "Cordell Beacon" 25 May 1922. p 3, col. 5. " Mrs. Edna Janie Combs, Daughter of Rev and Mrs. W.R. Martin, of Nocona, Texas, wife of Mr. Virgle Combs, born March the 26th 1895, died May the 20th 1922, age 27 years, one month, and 24 days. She was married to Virgle Combs August the 25th, 1912, to this union was born two children, one boy six years old, and one girl six months old. She professed faith in Christ at the age of thirteen years, and united with the Missionary Baptist church at Bonita, Texas. She was a true and devoted wife and mother, and lived as she died, trusting in God. She underwent an operation near a month ago in the Florence hospital in Cordell, her father stayed by her until last Thursday when indications were that she was soon to be well, so he returned to his home in Nocona, Texas. She leaves a husband, two children, father and mother, two brothers and one sister, a host of relatives and friends to morn for her. Funeral services were conducted at 4 o'clock P.M. at the Lone Star cemetery at Rocky, Okla, by Rev. E.D. Gregory, pastor of the Baptist church."

I was born on a late Saturday evening on November 5 1921. My mother had a difficult time and as a result of my birth she required surgery when I was five months old. She developed pneumonia while in the hospital and died on 20 May 1922.  

My father was heavily in debt after the hospital and funeral expenses so he sold his team of horses and all his equipment. He took my brother and me to his mother's home and went to work at a gin in Rocky, Oklahoma to pay off his debts.  

My brother, Travis, and I lived with our grandmother and step grandfather, John and Amanda Chiddix, until our father remarried in January 1927. My memories of those years are a delight. I adored my grandfather, who called me Baby until the day he died. I loved grandmother too, but in a different way. She was the Monarch of thefamily and her word was law. I can remember her saying "I may not be always right but I am never wrong"; however along with the discipline went a great deal of indulgence and I loved both grandparents dearly and missed them something fierce when I was taken away.  

I was just past five years old when my Dad married Cora Lee Doty and my brother and I went to live with them in the small town of Grandfield, Tillman County, Oklahoma. Cora was 33 years old when she married Dad, which was considered a spinster in those days. She had always lived with her parents and there is no doubt that she had a problem adjusting to the care of two children who had been spoiled by their grandparents for the last five years. It was quite an adjustment for us too and I would not classify my childhood memories as especially pleasant. However, I discovered early in life, that a sense of humor was a precious commodity and, thankfully, I was born with one.  

The first place that we lived in Grandfield was on the lower east end of Main street just around the corner from the ice plant where Dad had a job. He not only worked in the plant making the ice but he also delivered ice by horse and wagon. I remember him taking Travis and me to the ice plant one day to see how ice was made. It was extremely cold in the plant and there was a heavy odor of ammonia. The door to the outside was thick and tight to keep the cold in and I wanted out of there almost as soon as I heard that heavy door slam.  

Later Dad worked for the Blue Front Grocery. He worked in the store during the morning hours and delivered groceries in the afternoon. The majority of shopping was done by telephone in those days. After the housewife placed her order, Dad would fill it from the shelves and when he had enough orders to fill the Model T truck, he would deliver them. Very few items were perishable and the meat orders were filled, by the butcher, just before Dad left for deliveries. Almost all groceries were charged, including ours, and the customers would come to the store about once a month to settle up their bill. It was customary for the merchant to give the customer a bag of candy when he paid his bill. This was a real treat for my brother and me because it was the only time we got candy except at Christmas.  

Dad finally got a job at the Bell Oil and Gas Refinery located one mile north of town and he bought the house that I grew up in. It was on Main Street, about seven blocks from the commercial part of town---all two blocks of it. At this location we kept a cow, chickens, a large garden and a lovely strawberry patch. The house had two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and small bathroom where we took our weekly baths. My brother slept in the small bedroom and I slept on a cot in the dining room until Dad was financially able to build another bedroom.  

I went to school from first grade through twelfth in Grandfield. All the kids walked to school, home for lunch, and back again. When we got home from school, in the afternoon, we always had an apple from the peck that was kept behind the swinging door to the kitchen. We did our chores, I gathered the eggs (and how I hated it) and Travis milked the cow. After dinner we did the dishes, I always washed while Travis would dry and more often than not he would pop me on the hindside before we were finished. To this day I still don't know why I didn't make him wash, at least sometimes, so I could pop him one. After our chores were finished it was time for homework and I always had loads of it and Travis had very little. He had the brains in the family---I had to dig for everything I got. Regardless, I enjoyed school and read everything I could get my hands on and I still do. Travis graduated as salutatorian of his senior class---I was just lucky to graduate.  

When I was in my early teens, Dad traded milk to one of the ladies in town to give me piano lessons. I hated it, hated practicing, hated taking the lessons and wasn't too fond of the teacher. After two years we all gave up on me and the piano. Next Dad traded milk to a neighbor lady to teach me art. I loved it and I loved her. Vida Sims was not only my art teacher she was also my friend. I could talk to Vida and her mother, Mrs. Clark, about any problem that I had. They were dear people and I think the most important thing they taught me, besides looking for the beauty around me, was to find the humor in a situation.  

Our family was Baptist and Dad was a deacon in our church. When I say we attended church, I mean we attended church, (like every time the doors opened) but in later years I was grateful that I had that religious foundation to stand on. Like the rest of the young people in the church we were not allowed to dance, go to movies or attend sports events on Sunday. Of course, smoking, drinking and card playing was unheard of. We didn't necessarily feel deprived because half the kids in our town lived the same way.  

My brother and I spent two weeks each Summer with my mother's sister and her family. Aunt Ethel and Uncle Monroe Reed were very good to us and good for us. Quite often Aunt Ethel would make clothes for me while I was there. Uncle Monroe, who I called "Uncle Roe", would play with me, tease me, and take me to the farm with him. I have dear and fond memories of both of them.  

With the beginning of World War II, all the girls of marriage-age fellin love with love. They were marrying servicemen like it was their obligation to the war effort. I was no exception and on 20 June 1942 I married Harold Andrew "Dee" Harrison. He was a tall, handsome soldier that I had met a mere 6 weeks before. I knew absolutely nothing about his background, education, parents, ambitions, etc. and in peace time the relationship would have never materialized into marriage. Ten months after the marriage he shipped out still somewhat of a stranger to me. Ourson, Travis Dee, was born 11 August 1943. Dee returned after the War but the marriage was doomed, actually from the start, and I got a divorce in February 1948.  

I moved to Fort Worth, Texas where I worked for a commercial hardware company as Inventory Clerk and attended Brantley- Draughn Business College at night. In 1957 I was employed by Champlin Petroleum Company as an Accountant. I spent 26 years with this company retiring as Senior Insurance Analyst in May of 1983.  

On 22 July 1950, I married Guy T. Morris, a city fireman who later became District Fire Chief of Ft. Worth, Texas. He adored my son and the feeling was mutual so he adopted him and was a loving father and husband for 27 years. Although Guy was plagued by medical problems for the last nine years of his life, we were not prepared for the massive stroke that took his life on 10 March 1977.  

I had no desire or intentions of remarrying but on a business trip to New York City I met Edward B. Evans from Blacksburg, Virginia. After a three year courtship we were married on 21 May 1983 in the First Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. We spent the next three years in Blacksburg where I made some lovely friends. After Ed's retirement from Virginia Tech University we moved back to Texas as he had promised he would do when we married.  

I stay busy now with my many hobbies and since purchasing a motorhome we spend about half of each year traveling. I don't think of myself as getting older until I put my arms around some of my grandchildren and find they are taller than I. However, the real shocker came when my oldest granddaughter had a darling baby girl in February of 1990 and made me a great grandmother. Aw, Such is Life! 

Read by Travis Morris, 1990: 

-DOSHIE- Daughter of Mr and Mrs J.L. COMBS 

- FEB 27, 1898 - AUG 4, 1911 -