Philda A. McCombs, 54, of Astoria died at 5:50 a.m. Dec. 8, 2009, at Graham Hospital in Canton.Philda A. McCombs, 54, of Astoria died at 5:50 a.m. Dec. 8, 2009, at Graham Hospital in Canton.
She was born Aug. 3, 1955, in Canton, a daughter of Phillip and Dorothy Herrick Etter. She married Jon McCombs on Nov. 22, 1975, in Astoria. He survives.
Also surviving are two children, Aaron (and Tiffany) McCombs of Mackinaw and Allison (and Luke) Worrell of Springfield; one sister, Debbie (and Jim) Park of Astoria; her mother, Dorothy Etter of Astoria; and one grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her father, Phillip Etter, in 1989.
She graduated from Rushville High School in 1973 and transitioned directly into nurses training at Memorial Hospital of Springfield School of Nursing. She served as president to her graduating class from nurses training and proceeded to graduate with honors in 1975.
Her service as a registered nurse spanned nearly 35 years, during that time she served primarily in Rushville and Canton.
She was a member of Astoria United Methodist Church and various school-related committees throughout her children’s tenure at Astoria Schools.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Shawgo Memorial Home in Astoria with Rev. Bob Einhouse officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Friday at the memorial home. Burial will be in Astoria Cemetery.
Philda, with her kind-hearted, dedicated and thoughtful ways, cherished the opportunity she was given to care for so many as a nurse at Graham Hospital. In her loving memory and to honor her wishes, Philda’s family established the Philda McCombs Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship affords the family the opportunity to keep Philda’s memory alive, as well as help to financially support nursing students so they have the same opportunity as Philda was given.
Memorials may be directed to Graham Hospital Foundation, 210 W. Walnut St., Canton, IL 61520, in care of “Philda McCombs Memorial Scholarship” or to Graham Hospital Hospice.