Marie Clark Combs

Debby and I miss your talent, your friendship, and your kindness, Marie. Your artwork still graces our life daily.

One of Debby's and my real privileges is to wake up every morning, either in Kalamazoo or South Haven, and several of Marie's beautiful paintings or prints on our walls, a real reminder of how much we miss her.

Marie was a marvelous person. Since my dad was a member of the English faculty at WMU, Bill and Marie Combs feature in some of my earliest memories as names I would hear around the house. Later, when I was a student at Western, I worked for Marie in the Space Gallery. She taught me so much about how to see and appreciate art in so many ways. She will be greatly missed.

Sending my condolences to the Combs family. Sorry I'll miss the celebration of Marie's life. I'm stuck out here in the California sunshine for the next few months. From my view Marie was a beautiful and talented woman, and she will be deeply missed. I'm grateful to have known her.

I remember her as a quilter way back in the nineties.

Marie was a Kalamazoo treasure! I knew her through quilting but she was an artist is many different forms! RIP dear Marie. Your art will live on.

I knew Marie from Arthritis Aquatics class at the Maple Street Y. She always welcomed new participants, learning names & something unique about each. Whenever our group went out to eat, Marie had dessert, because she said Bill never had sweets in the house. True or not, watching her choose which dessert to have was fun. As a fellow home gardener, she shared many of her perennials with me; a true gift of friendship that keeps on giving.

We send our best wishes to Bill and his family.

One raucous Thanksgiving night many years ago Marie and I danced joyously to the Tommy Dorsey swing version of her namesake song, "Marie."

As the song lyric begins, "Marie, the dawn is breaking..." Godspeed.

Bob LaRue