Charlene Joan Lacombe

On April 15th, 2024, Charlene Joan LaCombe passed away peacefully surrounded by her family after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.

Charlene was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a friend to many. She was born May 31st, 1938, in Charlotte Michigan to Allison Wayne Milbourne and Edna May Hinckley. She spent her childhood growing up on Horatio Ave. in Charlotte, MI.

She graduated High School in 1956 and then attended Ferris Institute College earning her degree in Cosmetology. It was at Ferris Institute where she met her husband Michael Earl LaCombe. They married on November 7th, 1959. They started their married life with Michael joining the US Navy. This career took them to several states, and they grew their family along the way. They had five children, four boys and one girl. The biggest move came in 1978 when the family moved to Washington state. Charlene started her civil service career where she eventually retired in May of 1999. During her time as a civil service employee, she won many awards for her outstanding work. Charlene’s greatest accomplishment, however, was her family. She always put her family first and she left behind a legacy of what it truly means to value your family. She loved having her kids get together for birthday parties, holidays, and special occasions. Charlene was always documenting all her time spent with those she loved most with photos or videos. Her passion for movie-taking started in the 70’s with her 8mm movie camera that did not have sound. Later you could find her lugging around the twenty-pound VHS camcorder to capture all our special events. A true gift we shall cherish forever. She dedicated her time to creating memories with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She made each of her grandchildren feel so incredibly special and if you ask any one of them, they will assure you they were her favorite. She would often have them for sleepovers, play games with them and took them on special camping trips. She set the tradition early on of having her grandchildren over for baking Christmas cookies every year, along with many other traditions that they each cherish. Some of her favorite activities included her once a month family birthday celebrations, her garden of flowers, camping and traveling in their motorhome and making sure she never missed any chance to support her family, she truly never missed a thing. Charlene also loved her two little doggies as much as the rest of us.

Charlene was a true giver. She volunteered at her church, St. Gabriels’, she also volunteered at the soup kitchen to help feed those in need. She was a member of the Red Hat Society and both her and her husband were members of the Good Sams Club. She lived a life full of intention and was a shining example for us all.

Charlene is preceded in death by her husband Mike, her son Scottie, her sister Connie White and her parents Al and Edna Milbourne. She is survived by her children, Mark (Debbie) LaCombe, Matt (Nancy) LaCombe, Kathy (Tony) Fraley, and Kevin (Adele) LaCombe. Her sister Carol (Greg) Butzow, brother Gary (Gay) Milbourne and brother Jim (Sharon) White along with many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Charlene’s service will be held May 18th at 11:00 am at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Port Orchard, WA. She will be laid to rest on May 21st with her loving husband at Mt. Tahoma National Cemetery.