David Howard Combs Jr

David Howard Combs Jr., 70, of St. Paul, Minnesota, passed away on October 12, 2026.

Born on February 29, 1956, in Minneapolis to David and Mary Combs, Dave lived a life filled with curiosity, adventure, and a love of learning. Family meant everything to Dave.

He was involved in every activity his two sons participated in and attended every game, competition or event he possibly could. When his wife Pam was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension, he became her caretaker with no complaints, always ensuring she had what she needed and was taken care of. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his grandchildren, going to plays with them, teaching them to play tennis, watching them compete in track meets and playing hide "Super Balmpy" with them. He created special memories with each of them along the way that will never be forgotten.

He found joy in the outdoors, camping, bicycling, boating, hiking and sports. Tennis was his sport of choice until he discovered pickleball. He played in leagues and pickup games nearly every week with his friends. He was drawn to the welcoming social structure of pickleball where you could just show up at a court and start playing with different players every time. You can't live in MN all your life and not find indoor actives for the cold winter months. Dave enjoyed all sorts of indoor games, board games, card games, and ping pong. He enjoyed the competition and strategy of all the games he played, but mostly it was about spending time with family and friends.

Dave had a passion for learning and teaching. He was always looking for ways to learn new things, he read, audited college courses, used language learning apps, travelled and even tried to learn some dance moves. Teaching came naturally to him, especially in the areas that most interested him. For a time, it was flying airplanes where he became a certified flight instructor. Here towards the end, it was using the skills he learned working with computers to volunteer at a local high school with their robotics team.

His adventurous spirit, generous heart, and enthusiasm for life will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his family, friends, and everyone fortunate enough to have shared in his journey.

He was survived in death by his sons: David III (Jessica) Combs and Brian Combs; Grandchildren: Madison (Mike) McCauley, Autumn (Ethan) Strawn, Ethan Combs, and Alastair Combs; his partner: Debra Wentworth; and Siblings: Cathy (Eric) Nakamoto, Sue (Doug) Kmetz, Don (Yvonne) Combs, and Patti Combs. He is also survived by a loving extended family and many close friends.

David was preceded in death by his wife: Pamela, father: David Sr., mother: Mary, father-in-law: Daniel Toshach, and mother-in-law: Grechen Toshach.

In lieu of flowers please make donations in David's memory to the American Heart Association http://www.heart.org or the Pulmonary Hypertension Association http://www.phassociation.org.

A celebration of life will be held on November 20th, 2026 at Dakota Lodge in Thompson County Park, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN 55118.

Visitation will be held from 11:00am-1:00pm with a service at 1pm.

A light snack and beverages will be provided.