Obituary: Roderick Raymond "Ray" Combs Jr.

Roderick Raymond Combs Jr., passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020, at Cornerstone Hospice at Health Central, in Ocoee, Florida, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 94 years old.

Ray (as he was always called) was born in Kentucky, the son of the late Ethel (Owens) and Roderick R. Combs Sr., and was employed as an aeronautical engineer at Martin Marietta.

From a young age, Ray was fascinated by the beauty and power of flight. He began as a model airplane flyer in his teens, then went on to obtain a degree in aeronautics from University of Kentucky and to serve his country in WWII as a member of both the Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force.

A long-standing member of the American Model Association, Ray won numerous model airplane-flying awards and he originated and directed The Hush Up Meet in Palm Bay, Florida, a competition reserved for planes without motors. He built and flew his own models well into his 80s, and as an avid tennis player, he managed to play doubles until he was 90.

Ray leaves his loving wife, Bertha Ann (Lutes) Combs, of Orlando, to cherish his memory; along with three daughters, Barbara Ann Combs Alward of Seattle, Washington, Margaret “Margie” Ray Combs, of Seattle, Washington, Camela “Cami” Cay Wass, of Windermere; two sons, Roderick R. Combs III and James Owens Combs, both of Orlando; two sisters, Audrea Lee Spicer of Los Angeles; Barbara Faye Combs of Louisville, Kentucky; a brother-in-law, Charles Spicer from Los Angeles; two sons-in-law, Bruce Alward of Seattle and Mike Wass from Orlando; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

The family will be receiving friends at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 24, 2020, followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service, at Family Church - Windermere Campus (First Baptist Church of Windermere), Florida, with Dr. Charles “Chuck” Carter officiating. Interment will follow the service with military honors at Dr. Phillips Cemetery in Orlando.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.