Hollis R Combs was born on July 13, 1929 in Sapulpa, OK; he died on September 7, 2019 in Houson, TX. In between these two dates, he lived an extraordinary life. His parents, Hiram and Hazel (nee Bellows) Combs moved within OK, KS, and NE as Hiram’s job with Service Pipeline Co. required. They settled in Hastings, NE, where Hollis grew up and completed High School in 1950. During that time, the Combs family added three more children: Helen (Gassaway), Betty (Avery, Penrod), and Howard (Betty nee Schell). Hiram and Hazel finally settled in Sterling, CO in 1955 where they lived until their deaths.
Hollis began work after High School with his Father at Service Pipeline. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with bone cancer, which resulted in an above-knee amputation of his left leg. After recovering from his surgery, Hollis spent two years attending college at Kearney State Teachers College, where he studied Biology. During this time, he met, courted, and married Evelyn Francis Loeffelholz, who grew up in and around Kearney. They married on July 4, 1952 in Amherst, NE.
Hollis spent most of his professional life working as a Seismologist. First, he was with Precision Exploration. Hollis and Evelyn traveled with various seismic crews among several locations within NE, KS, OK, TX, ND, CO, WY, and AR for many years. In January of 1958, their son, Steven Hiram, was born in Scott City, KS. Two weeks later, they moved to Pampa, TX. Within Steven’s first year, the family moved four times, via Colby, KS, Williston, ND and Stuttgart, AR, where they celebrated Steven’s first birthday.
At some time during the mid-1960’s, Precision Exploration folded. Immediately thereafter, Hollis began working as a Seismologist/Draftsman for Cabot Oil and Gas, now based in Houston. The Combs family spent several years in Houston before relocating to Pampa, TX in 1973, where Cabot had its main offices at that time. They stayed in Pampa until 1988. At that point, Cabot transferred him back to Houston, where he continued to work as a freelancer until his retirement in the mid 1990’s.
Hollis is survived by his wife Evelyn, son Steven (Elizabeth) and grandson William Steven of Lubbock, TX, sister Betty Penrod of Beaufort, SC and brother Howard (Betty) of Sterling, CO.
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