ALFRED – Zoë S. Coombs, 85, passed away Monday (July 23,
2018) at Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville following a brief illness.
Mrs. Coombs was born on Aug. 8, 1932 in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada to William Watson and Katinka Raimondi (Young) Southam. In
1955, she married Neal Philip Coombs, who predeceased her on Dec. 16, 1986. She
earned her B.A. in History from Alfred University in 1985.
Zoë worked as a secretary for Alfred University for 17 years
until her retirement in 1995.
Zoë is survived by
one son, Kevin M. (Barbara) Coombs of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; one brother,
Peter Y. (Elsa) Southam of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; two grandsons, Daniel T.
(Sherilyn) Coombs and William M. (Elizabeth Dow) Coombs, both of Winnipeg; two half-brothers, Kenneth Southam and Brian
Southan; one half-sister, Brenda Seasons; and several nieces, nephews and
cousins.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a
daughter, Sherryl Coombs; a sister, Patricia M. Southam O’Sullivan; and a
half-brother, Michael Southam.
Zoë lived a busy and very active life. In her early years
she was an avid sportswoman, playing basketball in high school, volleyball in
college and was an excellent tennis player. She was a voracious reader of all
kinds of literature, especially mysteries. She loved food, wine and the next
adventure, all of which dovetailed perfectly with her desire to tour the world.
Zoë traveled to 44 different countries during her adventures.
Zoë was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed knitting. In
later years she took up weaving, quilting and gardening. It wasn’t by accident
that she was Co-President of Fortnightly Garden Club of Hornell and was a
member of the Knitwits Knitting Group.
Zoë was also very civic minded. She was a member of the
Allegany Bird Club, the Alfred Historical Society and the Alfred Wee Playhouse.
As a mother, Zoë encouraged this same civic mindedness in her children and
nurtured them to grow and develop their own independence and to spread their
wings.
Per her wishes, there will be no prior visitation. A
Celebration of Her Life will be held on Saturday (Aug. 4) at 1:30 p.m. at the
First Alfred Seventh Day Baptist Parish House in Alfred with Rev. Patricia
Bancroft, officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Baker-Swan
Funeral Home in Andover. Online condolences may be offered at www.baker-swan.com.
The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to all her
caregivers who helped her during her courageous battle with cancer. In lieu of
flowers, memorial contributions in Zoë’s name may be made to Allegany County
Cancer Services, Attn: Lori Ballengee, 100 South Highland Ave., Wellsville, NY
14895.