About Emily
Emily Ann Siemens Combs
Emily Ann Siemens Combs passed away at her home in Champaign, Illinois, on April 17, 2025, at the age of 95. She was born at home in Hooker, Oklahoma on June 16, 1929 to loving parents, Herman Bennie Siemens and Anna Daisy Suderman Siemens. Later, she welcomed her two younger brothers, Bennie James Siemens and Donald Gene Siemens.
She grew up in Hooker, Clinton and Watonga, Oklahoma during the depression and World War 2. As a teenager, she prayed that God would protect her future husband, who she was sure was involved in the war.
Her parents were industrious and worked hard to make sure the family had enough. Her father worked for the post office as a mail carrier and later as a rural mail carrier. At home on their small acreage, they raised a large garden and would can berries, fruit, and vegetables, storing them in their root cellar, which also served as a shelter in case of a tornado.
Her father kept chickens, and her brothers would help sell eggs they rolled through town in the back of their wagon. And they also raised sheep. There were many chores to do, laundry to wash, meals to prepare, and dishes to do, but the family worked together and played together and attended church together. Her parents were very involved in their church, and their home was often busy with guests and friends. Emily’s mother gave piano lessons, her father taught boys’ Sunday School, and they sang in the choir.
Emily took voice lessons to help with her singing. When she became a cheerleader in high school, her voice teacher taught her how to do the cheers without hurting her voice. In her early college career, she majored in vocal music, sang in the chorus, played the bass drum in the band, and had a lead part in a Mozart operetta.
She was artistic and enjoyed painting, which led her to create murals starting with her bedroom wall as a teenager. This progressed to painting scenes on her window blinds and garage door, and eventually designing nativity scenes for the church’s Christmas programs. Music was also a big part of Emily’s life. She was a talented singer and piano player. In college, she would often lead singing for special services in different churches. When she was leading the singing in a church in Dodge City, Kansas, she stayed at the home of her future in-laws and met her future husband. Edgar Frank Combs.
Emily and Frank (also known as Ed) were married on February 1, 1952, and their marriage lasted 66 years until Frank’s passing in April 2018. They lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, and then returned to Kansas as they raised their four children. Danny Gene, Paul Michael, Timothy Mark, and Anna Kathleen. In 1967, they moved to Collinsville, Illinois, and in 1974, another move took Emily to Rogers, Arkansas. They lived in Rogers for 38 years before making their final move to Champaign, Illinois.
Along the way, they made many friends. They were part of several churches, where Emily consistently played the piano, led singing, or sang in the choir, in addition to teaching and leading ladies’ Bible studies.
While living in Dodge City, Kansas, Emily returned to school and earned her teaching degree, after which she taught elementary music for several years. Teaching children became her passion. When she moved to Collinsville, Illinois, she found a job teaching 6th grade. Upon her move to Rogers, Arkansas, she taught elementary school and later earned her master’s degree in education. She taught basic computer language to students, which led to her being a gifted and talented classroom teacher and eventually the director of the gifted and talented program in the Rogers school district.
She retired from teaching at the age of 68 and continued caring for her ailing mother, who was living in her home, until her mother passed away at the age of 92. Emily stayed busy in the church playing keyboards in the praise band, teaching ladies’ Bible studies, VBS, encouraging others, and staying in touch with her growing family.
She began writing weekly blogs in 2006, which can be found on this website, https://emilys-snippets.com/
She had friends and family with whom she kept in contact, encouraging them through social media apps (Facebook), letters, and visits. She met several young Chinese friends when they traveled to Rogers, Arkansas, for their Walmart careers. Most of them kept in touch with Emily for almost 20 years.
Emily was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Frank (known to her students as ‘Frankie Baby’), her parents, her two brothers, her twin sons, her stillborn child, Donnie James, and her oldest son, Danny Gene, and also by her grandson, Benjamin Santosh Paul Combs.
She is survived by her three children, Paul and wife Carolyn Combs, Timothy and wife Karen Combs, and Anna and her husband Brent Payne. She is also survived by Dan’s wife, Linda McGinn-Combs, and grandchildren Coley and wife, Shannon McGinn, grandson Demian Combs, and granddaughter Caitreona McGinn. Granddaughters Sarah Combs, Hannah Combs, Rebekah and husband Abraham Christensen, and Alyssa Combs and Hilarie and husband, J.D. Maloney. And daughter, Anna, and her husband, Thomas Payne, and grandchildren, Thomas Payne, Anna Michelle, and her husband Matt Sawicki, and Jennifer and her husband Kody Gergis, along with great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.