Betty Gene Coombs

ST. JOSEPH – Betty Gene Coombs of St. Joseph, formerly of Tuscola, passed away on Thursday (Jan. 14, 2016) at her daughter's home in St. Joseph.

Betty was born in Shelby County on July 28, 1926, to Arlie and Maude (Houser) Craig.

She married Calvin S. Coombs on Dec. 5, 1945. He preceded her in death on Sept. 4, 2015. She was also preceded in death by her parents, three sisters and four brothers.

Betty is survived by their son, Ron (Sue) Coombs of East Peoria; daughter, Connie (Ed) Kroll of St. Joseph; daughter, Pennie (Dale) Poynter of Tuscola; son, Mike (Chris) Coombs of Tower Hill; brother, Paul "Short" Craig of Sullivan; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Betty and Calvin have 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

There are many things that Betty will be remembered for. She enjoyed writing to and receiving letters from family members. She was adored for her cooking with a specialty of noodles, applesauce cookies and summer sausage. Before retiring in 1996, she did a lot of gardening and canning.

Betty loved her family dearly. She kept up on their accomplishments and looked forward to their visits and phone calls more than anything. She was a constant source of hugs, kisses and "I love you's." All of these will be missed more than words can express.

Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Joines Funeral Home, Villa Grove, with a short service at 1:45 p.m. Graveside services will follow at 3 p.m. at Arthur Cemetery, Arthur.