Agnes D. Combs

101 Years of Living Legacy

“Business Acumen, Giving To and Supporting Others”

Let’s just say, these character traits among others fundamentally defined Agnes Combs throughout her ENTIRE life. They were a testament to her longevity.

Agnes was the first born and only girl of five children born to Katie Feazell and Wade Combs. Yet, little did these children know, was that they would inherent and demonstrate a deep entrepreneurial spirit within them that transcended generations.

Agnes’s fraternal great-great-grandfather, Frank Combs arrived in America from Liberia, West Africa to educate Black Americans. Not much is known about Agnes’s maternal great-grandfather, William Feazell, but that he owned a farm that was free of mortgage.

Her fraternal great-grandfather, Cube Combs, was prominently well-known in Oak Grove, Louisiana where Agnes was born. Similar to his father he was also involved in educating children. As well, he was a successful businessman and farmer where he owned a plantation and maintained many laborers on the Combs property. He visited Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he learned about the “Rosenwald Fund” for Negro Schools. As a result of his leadership, the Cedar Grove Junior High School and Magnolia Junior high School were founded. Cube, along with a land developer Lou Mcintyre, built a new school that was named “Combs-McIntyre” High School, which unfortunately burned down. It was then resurrected as the Combs-Mcintyre Community Center. In addition, Cube built a one room school in Oak Grove, Louisiana that was named Combs Chapel and this is where Agnes was educated. Herein lies the root foundations.

Agnes had four younger brothers; Horace, Wade Junior, Otis, and Herman. As part of her early leadership ability she assumed a caretaker role to them and became like a second mom as their big protective sister.

She was a very good student and graduated Valedictorian of her class. Not only that, she was very athletic and played basketball as well as ran track. She continued in her athletic devotion with water aerobics where she eventually became an aerobics instructor and met with world renown, Bonnie Prudent, to help develop her classes.

Agnes just could not stay stagnant in Louisiana. She seized an opportunity to move away from her families little bungalow in Oak Grove by joining her first cousin Ardie Lee Smith in Chicago in the late 1930s, where she helped her to find work and a place to stay.

Shortly after arriving in Chicago, Agnes attended and graduated from the school of cosmetology. She became an excellent beautician and esthetician, which led to numerous clients working on the suburban north shore. The commute became tedious and through friends she decided to relocate to Evanston, Illinois.

After a year and a half of working and getting settled, she sent for her brothers to join her in Evanston; they did so gladly. She made it possible for the family to make a seamless transition to Evanston, secure employment, and eventually purchase a home.

The Chicago area became the expansion ground for her brothers. They became more educated, which led them to becoming entrepreneurs. Some of the careers launched were in the fields of landscaping, highway construction, asphalt, lawn care, trucking, and limo livery service. All of these stemmed from the root foundations of an “ancestral entrepreneurial spirit”. The brothers helped each other out and affectionately became known as, “The God Fathers.”

Agnes met her husband, Albert T Hart (Al) in Chicago and married there. In 1948 he was stationed at Fort Sheridan in Chicago. She was a military wife much of her life since Al moved from one military base to another. Yet, she set up her beauty shop everywhere she went with eventually owning her own shop called “Agnes House of Beauty”. Chad, her second son was born five years after Brett when the family was stationed at Fort Carson, CO.

Her early leadership abilities were demonstrated in her children’s upbringing where she not only participated in PTA activities, but became president of the PTA association.

Upon retirement from the military Al and Agnes moved to Denver. He became a ROTC instructor and eventually they both went into Real Estate. Agnes later on in her 80’s opened up her own in-home daycare. Not to mention, she joined a civic and social club called The Reginas and became President of the HOA board at her condominium community.

Agnes is survived by her loving sons, Brett Hart and Chad Hart. Yet, no one could bring her more joy than her five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Her granddaughters; Nichelle Hart, Dee Dee (Seth) Smallwood, Tahlia (Raymond) Hinton and Veronica Huntley. Her great-grandchildren, Monique (Terence) Hart Cooper, Micah Douglas, D’Ajanee Smallwood, A.J. Smallwood, Calista Costello, Tre Smallwood, Ma’Kayla Taylor, Maaliyah Taylor, Grace Hinton and Jaxon Hinton. She was preceded in death by her only grandson, B.J. Hart. She was immensely proud of all of her children's accomplishments. Beholding the upbringing of these children, I’m grateful to say that most of them have already demonstrated that “Ancestral Entrepreneurial Spirt” rooted in our family tree.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY, Agnes D. Combs has lived a full and complete life. She was always known for her sophistication, grace, and giving nature. At 100 years old the Colorado governor honored her with a certificate for being a “centenarian” then hoisted a flag in front the capitol building on her behalf. The HOA board honored her for her service and found a statistic that said out of 5.77 million people in the Denver Metro area only 450 people are centenarians, therefore, Agnes is Truly One in a Million.

Chad, (Agnes’s Son) could not have said it any better than the son of her brother, Horace Combs, who had the privilege of seeing the commencement of her life’s journey that led to the beauty of her life’s story.

“Auntie was smart, ambitious, literate, and beautiful; she was an excellent communicator. She had a pleasant demeanor and was skilled at getting along with people. She was well liked upon first meeting with those she encountered. Auntie had a pleasant voice and a welcoming smile. She was one who looked you in your eyes when speaking, she meant business but at the same time, she was civil.”

“Auntie Was Truly A Pioneer, Entrepreneur, And A Grand Lady.” -Horace C. Combs.

Chad has had the privilege of being Mom’s caregiver for 6 years. Everywhere they went people would always ask for the secret to her longevity. To be honest, she never thought about it and could not come up with an answer all because she fully lived the DNA of who she was...with the life of God inside her.

A Secret That Belongs To All Of Us, If We Just Dare To Live All We Are.

Chad has done his best to honor Mom with the best available. He leaves you with these words from the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (PTN) (Passion Translation)

13 Beloved brothers and sisters, we want you to be quite certain about the truth concerning those who have passed away, so that you won’t be overwhelmed with grief like many others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who died while believing in him.

15 This is the word of the Lord: we who are alive in him and remain on earth when the Lord appears will by no means have an advantage over those who have already died, for both will rise together.

16 For the Lord himself will appear with the declaration of victory, the shout of an archangel, and the trumpet blast of God. He will descend from the heavenly realm and command those who are dead in Christ to rise first.

17 Then we who are alive will join them, transported together in clouds to have an encounter with the Lord in the air, and we will be forever joined with the Lord.

18 So encourage one another with these truths.

I’ve done my best to honor Mom with the best available. Her insurance proceeds don’t cover everything, so I’ve set up a GO FUND ME PAGE: https://gofund.me/180f8fb7.

That explains it all on her behalf. Prodigiously, Thank You. – Chad Hart (Agnes’s Son)