Lily McCombs

Lily May McCombs, age 97, went to be with our Lord September 1, 2023. She was born on

November 23, 1925, in Fulton, New York, to Haig and Nevart Babikian.

Lily graduated from Fulton High School, and then attended Syracuse University. She later

worked for a company that proofread flight and technical manuals for NASA.

She married Charles James McCombs in 1957 in Fulton, New York, where they had 2 children,

Gunder Charles (Sue) and Gregg Arnold (Deb), who reside in Montana and Massachusetts,

respectively. Charlie and Lily moved to Pennsylvania in 1969, and owned and operated College

Hill Gifts for a number of years before retiring to Sebastian, Florida, in 1994.

Lily enjoyed skiing in the Adirondack Mountains, but never skied again after breaking her leg.

She even took flying lessons, which surprised many in her family. Early in her marriage, she

enjoyed antiquing and attending Syracuse and Lehigh University football games with her

husband. She loved watching the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, and was

especially a fan of “that darling Tom Brady.” One of the highlights of her life was when she

traveled to Istanbul with her nephew, Doug, and got to meet her Armenian family.

Later in life, Lily spent summers in Montana with her oldest son, Gunder, and family, and began

living with them permanently in 2021.

Lily has been described as a “spitfire” and “one of a kind.” She certainly had a knack for making

an impression, and most anyone who met her would have a story to tell.

Lily lived both for and through her family. She never missed an opportunity to take her kids,

grandkids, or great-grandkids shopping and out to eat. Her favorite hangouts included Texas

Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Softies, just to name a few.

Lily was preceded in death by her younger brothers, George (Mary Ann) and Robert (Mary)

Babikian; her twin sister, Elizabeth Byrne, and younger sister, Helen (Doug) Canfield; and her

husband, Charles McCombs.

She is survived by both sons; granddaughter, Kelly (Nate) Davis; grandsons Dustin (Diedra),

Cody (Kayla), Ryan, and Sean McCombs; great grandchildren, Claire and

Christian Davis and Declan McCombs; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Services will be held at Dahl Funeral Chapel on Friday, September 8, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. The

service will also be livestreamed and can be viewed later for those who are unable to attend at

dahlfuneralchapel.com. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday

from 9:00 a.m. to noon, as well as immediately preceding the service. There will be family-only

visitation on Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m. Burial will

promptly follow at Mountview Cemetery.

The family of Lily would like to thank the St. Vincent's Hospital and Butterfly Homes Staff for

their kindness and superb care of Lily in her final months and days.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Blue Creek Baptist Church in Billings, Montana, can be made in

Lily's name.