Obituary of Bertha L. Holcomb , 94

Bertha L. Holcomb, 94, of State College, died Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, at Foxdale Village. Born Sept. 16, 1915, in Troutville, Va., she was a daughter of the late Irvin D. and Mary Ann Pobst Graybill. On Sept. 17, 1966, she married Col. Joel P. Holcomb, who survives at Foxdale Village.

She was a member of the Church of the Brethren. She also was a member of the Women's Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz., and the South Arizona Watercolor Guild.

She is survived by three children, Kenneth C. Blythe and his wife, Sylvia, of State College, Shelby W. Blythe and his wife, Francesca, of Potomac, Md., and Douglas L. Blythe and his wife, Diane, of Phillipsburg, N.J.; two stepchildren, Judith Lee Revell and Joel P. Holcomb Jr. and his wife, Lori, all of Seattle; four sisters, Sarah E. Howell, of Chapel Hill, N.C., Katherine Wertz, of Woodbridge, Va., Naomi Simpson and her husband, Charles, of Salem, Va., and Lucille Cooper, of Covington, La.; a brother, Paul Graybill and his wife, Rose, of Troutville, Va.; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by seven brothers and sisters.

In memory of Bertha, Joel wants others to know that she was one of the most beautiful and loving women in God's creation.

A memorial service will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at Foxdale Village, with the Rev. Bonnie Kline Smeltzer officiating. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Foxdale Village Community Fund, 500 Marylyn Ave., State College, PA 16801.

Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College.