Mary Catherine Lacombe

1948 - 2024

Mary Catherine Lacombe

Durham, NC - Mary Catherine Lacombe, 75, finished her life of adventure Saturday, January 13 after a short battle with Stage 4 cancer. Mary's adventures began July 8, 1948, as the third of seven children born to Dorothy May Cutler and Ignatius Thomas Lacombe. Mary lived a joyful and active life right up until her hospitalization on January 4.

Mary graduated from Peru Central High School in 1966; she earned a BA from SUNY Plattsburg in 1970, an MA from Antioch University in 1983, and a PhD from Union Institute in 1997. She spent most of her working life as an elementary school teacher, including about 20 years in Concord, when she was Mrs. Brown. One of her colleagues said, "She was an innovator, audacious, a terrific conversationalist, had an infectious laugh, [and was] kind and sensitive to student needs, curious, a rabid reader, and a deep questioner." She also worked as a principal, college professor, and magazine editor.

She was always a planner. She helped organize family reunions, and often asked, "Hey, have you ever tried this?" and then she would not only plan it, but she would also participate - even zip lining. Mary doted on her grandson Parker, who is probably the main reason she moved from upstate New York to North Carolina in 2006. After helping him learn to swim, she and her husband David took him snorkeling around coral reefs in Florida. She also helped him learn to ski.

Mary was a perpetual educator who was either learning or teaching in a calm, joyful manner. She especially enjoyed teaching children to read. One mother whose child had had serious problems with reading, told Mary how happy she was that Mary had taught her child to love reading.

Mary became a member of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) after she moved to Durham in 2012. At ERUUF, she became a co-leader of the "Spiritual Threads" group, and she made small quilts for children and gave them to local pediatric units. She was also a talented artist and a member of an art group, and she enjoyed drawing Zentangle designs and other types of drawings and watercolor paintings.

Always an avid bicyclist, Mary competed in Triathlons in the 1980's and continued to ride in retirement. In Durham, Mary regularly bicycled 5 to 8 miles around Parkwood, and other nearby neighborhoods.

Mary is survived by David Sokal, her loving husband of 11 years, her son Christopher Brown, wife Michelle, her grandson Parker, and her siblings Ignatius Lacombe, Barb McGee, Andre Lacombe, Pierre Lacombe, and Christopher Lacombe. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Dorothy Gregory.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at ERUUF on Saturday, April 6 at 3 pm. To attend the service virtually, go to: www.facebook.com/eventsERUUF/ Instead of flowers, please contribute to the Urban Ministries of Durham (www.umdurham.org/) or to ERUUF (www.eruuf.org/).