Douglas Coombs

Douglas McLeod Coombs, passed on peacefully in his sleep May 28th in the comfort of his Orlando home in the company of his devoted daugther, Karen Coombs. The son of Ralph Douglas Coombs and Mary McLeod, he was born September 4, 1922 in Princeton, New Jersey, He was enrolled in Princeton University in 1941 when WWII began and left to serve his country in the US Marine Corps as a radar technician in the Asiatic Pacific Theater and became a scholar of WWII history in the years that followed. After the war, Douglas returned to Princeton and distinguished himself by earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1947 from Princeton University; in 1951 he went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. He was a member of the bar in New York, Connecticut and the District of Columbia. Douglas and Carol Coombs were joined by their daughter, Karen Coombs and founded their longtime family home in Irvington, NY-- not far from Simmonds Precision where Douglas was a Vice President & General Counsel--he also fondly called Boston and Orlando “home” too. Fueled by his daily New York Times ritual, Douglas was always abreast global current events and enjoyed traveling the world, sailing, and reading. His favorite book was the Bible and his Christian faith sustained him to the end. He is survived by his daughter, Karen Coombs, his sister, Katherine Boger, and seven nieces and nephews. The family extends a warm welcome to all who would like to join them in celebrating the life and mourning the death of Douglas, who will be honored by a military service held graveside at the Bourne National Cemetery on Wednesday, June 8th 2011. Procession leaves the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home at 2:00pm sharp -- 40 MacArthur Boulevard, Bourne, MA 02532 (508) 759-3511.