Garth Coombs, 96, of Athens, Ohio passed away on June 7, 2025 at the Laurels of Athens following complications from a stroke. He was born in Paramus, NJ and was the youngest of five sons of Robert Duncan Coombs, Jr. and Harriet Lord Couch. Growing up, he summered in Duxbury, MA, where he competed in sailing for the Duxbury Yacht Club. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Margaret Smith Coombs, and his stepson Robert D. Coombs IV. He attended MIT, earning degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business, and swam for the Tech swim team. He was a member of the fraternity of Delta Psi, the Number Six Club. He entered the Army in 1951 as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, serving as aide-de-camp to Major General Creasey, the head of the Chemical Corps. Following his two years of service, he completed a master’s degree at the Newark College of Engineering and joined the Johns Manville Corporation’s R&D division in New Jersey and Colorado, first as a research engineer and then a manager. His fields of expertise were in filtration and industrial minerals, especially commercial uses of diatomaceous earth. He received several patents for the company. His hobbies included crafts (he never met a craft he didn’t want to try), garage sales, wildlife photography, and genealogy. Following his retirement, he was an active member of the Mountain Genealogists Society of Evergreen (Colorado) and a member of “The Curmudgeons,” a group of retired Evergreen professionals. In 2017, he moved to Athens, Ohio to be near his son, Garth Jr, and daughter-in-law, Amy. He is survived by two stepdaughters, Susan Coombs de la Herran of Madrid, Spain and Judith C. Buinicki, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and his son, Garth (Gary) Coombs, Jr. of Athens, Ohio. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren: Lisa de la Herran, Victoria de la Herran, Andrea de la Herran, and Barbara de la Herran, all of Spain; Meridith Brozik of Carlisle, PA; Martin T. Buinicki Jr. of Valparaiso, IN; Kate Polera of Denver, CO; Robert D. Coombs V of Brooklyn, NY; Garth Coombs III of Boston, MA; and Kenneth R. Coombs of Portland, OR. Also survived by great-grandchildren Will & Jack Buinicki of Valparaiso; Jack Brozik of Carlisle; Sophia de la Herran of Madrid, Spain; Clara Coombs of Brooklyn, and step great-grandchildren Brennan & Hannah Vallely of Boston. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather and will be greatly missed.
