Steven P. Combs

Dr. Steven P. Combs, age 78, passed away unexpectedly on July 26, 2022. Steven was a dedicated and compassionate Orthopedic surgeon as well as a wonderful husband, brother, father, and Papa. He loved sharing fine wine and gourmet cooking. He enjoyed gardening, fishing, his pet dogs, and supporting all Cleveland sports teams, in the good times and bad. Born April 9, 1944 in Fort Dodge, Iowa he spent much of his youth living around the United States and in different countries where his father was stationed in the Air Force, including Texas, Wisconsin, Panama, Greece, Germany and Libya. While his father was stationed in Germany he witnessed the horrors of Nazi concentration camps after the war, which guided his dedication to caring for others. He graduated from Irvin High School, El Paso, Texas in 1962. He attended the University of Iowa where he graduated from college and medical school. He completed his internship in Sayre, Pennsylvania followed by residency at the Cleveland Clinic. While there he met his wife of 45 years, Penelope (Penny) Calvey. After 4 years of service in the Air Force, he and Penny settled in Mentor, Ohio where he joined Lake Orthopedics Associates. Together they raised their four children. Steven was an active member of the Ohio State Medical Association and served as President from 2004 to 2005. He was a President of the Medical Staff of the Lake Hospital System, and a member of the Board of Directors of Breckenridge Village. After the passing of Penny in 2019, Steven moved to Concord, OH and connected with a longtime friend, Joanne Contorno. They fell in love and were married in December 2021. He joined the board of his community housing association and made many friends. Steven, aka Papa, loved to share whatever he had. He loved good movies and spending time with his grandchildren. He was generous and hard working. Steven will be greatly missed by his family and the community. He is survived by his wife, Joanne Contorno; sister, Rebecca (Richard) Fries; children, Patrick Combs (Amy Shuman and Chrystal McGregor), Katie (Martin) Miller, Meaghan (Neal Goldenberg MD) Combs MD, and Bridget Combs MD; grandchildren, Lily Miller and Lucille, Naomi and Gabriel Goldenberg; stepchildren, Rick Contorno, Kristine Bell, Paul Contorno, Mark (Barbara) Contorno, and Matthew (Karen) Contorno and dog and faithful companion, Veronica. He was preceded in death by his wife, Penny Combs and parents, Eugene and Marie Combs. The family will receive friends from 4:00-8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 11, 2022 at the Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060. A Mass of Christian burial will be held 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 12 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 8560 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060. Burial in All Souls Cemetery to follow. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; www.stjude.org Send flowers and offer condolences at www.brunners.com