[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 30, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4328-H4329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ROSEMARY NOEL COMBS

  (Mr. Norman of South Carolina was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, one of the real privileges of serving in 
Congress in the United States House of Representatives is to be able to 
recognize ordinary people who have done extraordinary deeds in their 
life. It is special today, June 30, 2026, because in 4 days we will 
celebrate the 250th anniversary of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the life of a remarkable 
American: Rosemary Noel Combs of Pineville, Kentucky, who passed away 
on May 3 of this year at the extraordinary age of 100.
  Born on the Fourth of July in 1925, Rosemary embodied the very 
essence of the American Dream, through her lifetime defined by faith, 
family, service, and the enduring strength of the American spirit.
  Rosemary was raised in Pennsylvania, where she studied at the 
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, mastering communications, 
meteorology, the Morse code, and airline operations. Her work with 
Capital Airlines, and later the Pennsylvania Railroad, reflected both 
her intelligence and her intense determination during a transformative 
era in history. But, truly, it was in Pineville, Kentucky, where 
Rosemary would leave her greatest mark.

[[Page H4329]]

  After marrying Robert Mason ``Doc'' Combs in 1954, Rosemary immersed 
herself in service to her new community. She and her husband opened the 
beloved Flocoe Drug Store and Diner, an establishment renowned 
throughout Bell County for the warmth, generosity, and the sense of 
real fellowship Rosemary extended to every person who visited.
  To generations of Pineville residents, Rosemary was more than a local 
businessowner. She was a counselor, volunteer, faithful servant, 
mentor, and friend. Whether through the Pineville Women's Club, the 
Rotary Club, the Bell County Chamber of Commerce, or through several 
decades of faithful service to St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Rosemary 
dedicated her life to serving others.
  At her funeral, a member of the community recalled a moment when 
Rosemary gave him medicine he could not afford for a sick child. Such 
quiet acts of compassion were the very essence of her being.
  Perhaps no tribute to Rosemary's life speaks louder than the fact 
that over 800 people gathered at her funeral, nearly half the town of 
Pineville. You have got to remember. She was 100 years old, and very 
few of her friends were still around. She had 800 friends.
  Her legacy lives on through her 6 children, 16 grandchildren, and 22 
great-grandchildren.
  In an age that often celebrates fame and fortune, Rosemary reminds us 
that the true measure of one's life is found in service, kindness, 
faith, and love of your neighbor.
  Today, we honor not only a wonderful woman, but a generation of 
Americans whose quiet strength built communities all across this great 
Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, may Rosemary's memory continue to inspire the United 
States of America and all who were blessed to know her. She epitomizes 
the phrase to live is to serve. She did so admirably.

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