Obituary of Daniel M. Combs

Warrensburg, NY & Afton, VA: 

Daniel M. Combs passed away on Sunday December 8, 2024. He was 63.

Born June 7, 1961, in Glens Falls, NY, he was the son of Clifton and Lida “Dolly” Combs. Dan was highly respected and generally considered the most intelligent person anyone had been fortunate enough to know. Even while enduring his own trials and tribulations, Dan was considered a rock – always happy to lend a helping hand or listening ear, offer advice, and be leaned upon.

Growing up, Dan was lucky to have the entire world in his backyard during the summer months. Dan was a camper, counselor, trip director, and stand-in maintenance man when called upon by Clif, Jerry, Russ, or Cy for many moons at Forest Lake Camp – making lifelong friends along the way. Years after moving south, Dan would come back to visit FLC and assist with the tree initiative to ensure the ecosystem’s health for years to come. Some say the trees still whisper stories of the Wynn Dego, his brother Skinocki, nephew Batman and the many antics of other FLC Legends. Others may say Dan was the best storyteller of them all – you might end up with three stories in one, all the while following his excited animations.

Dan’s leadership extended onto the football field – where he had the best combination of brains and brawn for a linebacker. He graduated from Warrensburg Central School with the class of 1979. Dan went on to graduate cum laude with a multi-field Bachelor degree in 1984 after transferring to St Lawrence University from Colgate University.

After Dan’s college career, he lived in VT and NC before settling down at Shannon Farm in Afton, VA. Dan made many connections at Shannon and always spoke fondly of the annual Stone Soup Thanksgiving circle. If the definition of ‘community’ wasn’t apparent before, it certainly was after his accidental fall from a roof leaving him partially paralyzed. The community rallied around Dan – helping make his home accessible, even retrofitting the tractor with hand controls so he could still tend the community roads and their continuous grading needs. The Combs family is endlessly grateful to Shannon for their hand-on support. Dan enjoyed hosting WWOOFers who would help with house projects and accompany him on kayaking and hiking outings while learning about the intentional community lifestyle. Dan also had a close bond with Terri from the Outdoor Adaptive Recreation who provided immeasurable support and friendship.

Aside from spending time reminiscing with friends and family, Dan’s true passion was the wilderness. Growing up trapping with his father, Dan continued to find his love of the outdoors in fishing, canoeing, and hiking trips. He loved summer visits to the Adirondacks taking his family on days-long trips in the woods. As eclectic as Dan’s interests were, you wouldn’t be surprised to learn of his days bee-keeping, gardening, tapping maples to make syrup, engineering passive solar energy projects, or various voyages abroad.

Dan was predeceased by his parents Clif and Dolly; brothers Jerry and Russ; nephews Seth and Cy; and beloved cats JJ, Suri, and Xander.

Dan leaves behind his brothers Erick (Kim) and Lin (Tina); sister Candy; sister-in-law Colleen; long-time friend Jill and her daughter Kristen (Tony); several nieces including Sunday, Cindy (Mike), Stacey, Casey and Holly; several nephews including J (Nicole), Alex, Andrew, Chris (Rachel), Joren, Rye and Rick (Rhonda); many other relatives and life-long friends of Forest Lake Camp and Shannon Farm.

Per Dan’s wishes, no formal services will be held. A celebration of his life will take place at a later date.

Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online guest book and condolences.