Louise Merck McCombs

Louise Merck McCombs, 92, loving wife and mother left this earth to walk through heaven’s gates on June 5, 2024. She was the fourth of nine children born to Lem and Mae Bell Merck on March 28, 1932, in Central, South Carolina. As a child of the Great Depression, she learned to work at an early age helping to harvest crops with the rest of her family. After high school graduation, she attended business school in Columbia, South Carolina and later worked at Columbia First National Bank. Her future husband was in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina when they met at a lake on July 4, 1954. They were married on December 18, 1955, and she moved from her home state to reside in Alabama for the remainder of her life. She worked at Telco Credit Union in Birmingham, Alabama until her first daughter was born in October of 1960, when she decided to leave the workforce to become a homemaker. She worked tirelessly to meet the needs of her family. No job was ever beneath her, because she took pleasure in knowing she could help. She embraced the role of being a wife and mother and understood there was great value in God’s plan for her life. In addition to her family, Louise led a life of service to her church and community. She was a member of Hughes Memorial Baptist Church in Pinson, Alabama and went on several domestic mission trips with them. She was a very gentle and tenderhearted person, so working in the church nursery came naturally to her. She also baked pound cakes to give to the sick and bereaved. She touched many lives by her kindness and concern for others. She will be greatly missed, especially by her husband of 68 years, her children and grandchildren. We thank God for her life and for allowing each of us to be a part of it. Our family wants to extend our deepest appreciation to her caregivers, Maria Young and Davina Hughes-Murray. Because of their exceptional care and compassion, we were able to bring Mother home where she could spend her last days surrounded by those who love her. We also want to extend our gratitude to Enhabit Home Health and Hospice for the excellent care they provided. Louise is survived by her husband, William Richard McCombs; three daughters, Angela Havard (Tim), Lori Hayes (Alan) and Rhonda Miller (Danny); six grandsons, Chad Patterson, Eric Patterson, Will Miller (Erin), Nate Miller, Micah Miller and Cam Miller; one granddaughter, Katie Hayes; four brothers, Leroy Merck, David Merck, Kenneth Merck and Thurston Merck (Shelby) and one sister, Linda Crenshaw (Allen). She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest Lemuel Merck and Mae Bell Evatt Merck; two brothers, Ernie Merck and Shorty Merck and one sister, Essie Mae Kelley. The family will receive guests on Monday, June 10, 2024, from 12pm to 2pm at Gardendale Heritage Funeral Home, with the service to begin at 2pm. Pastors David Spray and Danny Miller officiating. Burial will follow at Bethel Methodist Cemetery in Trafford.

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Louise Merck McCombs

March 28, 1932 - June 5, 2024