Victor “Vic” Combs passed away suddenly on Oct. 23 from a heart attack while playing golf at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake. A family man, teacher, avid outdoorsman and sports fan, the lifelong Iowan was 65 years old.
Vic was born Sept. 2, 1961, to Donald Combs and Judith Stewart Combs in Corning, Iowa. His early school years were at South Page Community School, before he moved with his parents to Davis County and graduated from Davis County High School in 1980.
His passion for sports began at a young age, becoming a letter-winner in football, basketball and baseball in high school. He attended college at William Penn University, where he was a pitcher and first baseman on the baseball team.
Vic graduated from college in 1984 with a degree in business management and business education, earning his certification to become a teacher.
He began his 35-year career as an educator teaching social studies and business at Grinnell Middle School and High School, then at Fairfield Middle School. He later completed a master’s degree as an instructional strategist at Morningside University, and taught social studies and special education in Davis County and Van Buren. He was currently employed at Job Corps in Ottumwa.
Vic married Christy Tucker on Aug. 23, 1996, and they were parents of one daughter, Hannah. He married Michelle Hartzler on July 21, 2001. They were parents of twins Roman and Regan.
After his family, Vic’s greatest joys came from sports and the outdoors. He hunted quail and pheasants, alongside the many English pointer and German shorthair dogs that he raised and trained. He loved to fish any place he could put a boat, especially if there was crappie to catch in the water. He also spent more than two decades working security at the Iowa State Fair every summer.
He cared deeply about preserving the Iowa countryside, helping maintain the conservation farm his family restored south of Bloomfield. He was a member of the non-profit conservation organizations Quail Forever and Pheasants Forever, dedicated to preserving natural habitats for wildlife around the state.
A fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Green Bay Packers from the time he was a boy, Vic left his own mark in sports as an athlete, coach and referee. During his teaching career, he also coached boys and girls basketball, track and field, baseball, football and tennis. As an adult, he played on rugby and softball teams, and became a dedicated golfer later in life. A licensed IHSAA referee and umpire for more than four decades, he was a fixture at football fields, basketball courts and baseball diamonds throughout Iowa.
Vic had an affinity for history, as well. He shared it with his students in his social studies classes, taking particular delight in educating them about cultures of the world. He shared it with his family through an endless array of impromptu trivia questions and countless games of Trivial Pursuit.
With his warm smile, deep laugh and generous nature, Vic was a light in the life of everyone who knew him. He was filled with pride in his children, as well as all the kids he taught and coached over the years.
Vic was preceded in death by his father, Donald (“Duck”). He is survived by his wife, Michelle; children, Hannah (Jack) of Los Angeles, Roman of Minneapolis, and Regan of San Diego; mother Judy and brother Jeffrey of Stockton, CA; aunts Marilyn Routh of Onawa, IA and Donna May Hiatt of Grant City, MO; parents-in-law Judy and Dan Hartzler, sisters-in-law Amy Gilchrist and Beth (Jeff) Carrier; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the Wagler Funeral Home in Bloomfield with Rhonda Eakins officiating. Following the service, a celebration of life gathering will be held from 4-7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Country Club. No visitation is planned at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established to Davis County Dollars for Scholars to be designated for a student pursuing a career as an educator and the McGowen Wildlife and Recreation Area.
