Vernie Combellick Obituary

Long-time Littleton resident, Vernie Bell Anderson Combellick, passed away on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, very near the age of 100. Vernie was born March 31, 1925, in St. Francis, Kansas, the youngest of the three children of Bennett Anderson and Magdalena Walz Anderson. At age 13, Bennett, 1st generation Swedish American, and his 15-year-old brother were sent alone by their father to homestead with a wagon and a mule in 1887. They landed in St Francis. Magdalena immigrated to New York, and then Kansas, from Ukraine as a German descendant in 1907. This pioneer heritage gave Vernie her strong values in creative survival, determination, hard work, faith, and community.
Raised near poverty in this tiny farming town, she found her purpose very early in life when as a toddler she began exploring music on the piano. She was largely self-taught until her mother hired out to iron shirts for ten cents each so she could pay for piano lessons. Her father was a fiddle player who taught her how to play standard chords in many keys. By the age of 11, she was accompanying him at country barn dances throughout the county. Later during grade school, she made her way to the corner drug store to scan sheet music, commit it to memory because she could not afford to buy it, and went home to play it from memory. This talent to play from memory was a signature talent all throughout her life. She also became the drum majorette for the St. Francis High School band and acted in many of the plays and musicals. In addition, she developed a beautiful voice, singing in hometown church choirs and many choirs after moving to Denver. She was an accomplished soloist all her life in these choirs and was featured in their recordings.
Vernie met University of Denver accounting student Glenn Combellick in 1946 at the Denver boarding house where they both lived. They were great dancers and courted by going ballroom dancing to big band music. They continued to dance most of their lives, even as octogenarians. While she was dating Glenn, Vernie took the time to go to Cedar City, Utah, for a year of college where she had her own radio show. At the station she recorded two of their songs, "Aways" and "I'll See You in My Dreams," and sent the record to him for Christmas when he was home in Billings, Montana. That recording grabbed Glenn's heart and they were married on August 29,1948.
Throughout their lives together, Glenn and Vernie worked tirelessly to provide a good home and life for their family. Moving to Littleton from Denver in 1956, Vernie continued planting her garden to provide fresh and home-canned food for the family. Raising her children, Rod, Janet, Sally, and Linda, was both disciplined and fun, spending time outdoors and with Glenn to move to two acres, on the edge of farmland at that time, where Glenn and Vernie lived for 56 years. The family helped build the house and Vernie did all the painting inside and out.
The family enjoyed trailer trips every summer, sometimes as far as Acapulco or Quebec. All four adult children still love to travel. During the years following Glenn's retirement, the couple traveled all over the world, from Iceland to the Antarctic, the British Isles to Japan, making two to three trips every year. They also spent many weekends on home turf going fishing or taking road trips around the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Vernie's faith was strong through life's challenges until the very end. She felt blessed to be able to dedicate her singing to God all her life. Her love of music will be missed but her children are all grateful for that legacy she shared, nurturing their musical talent in many ways.
Vernie's memorial service will be at Our Father Lutheran Church, 6335 S. Holly St, Centennial, CO 80121 on May 10, 2025, at 10:00 am. Memorial charitable gifts can be sent to this church where Vernie was a devoted member. Full Obituary and details at Drinkwinemortuary.com.