Obituary of Joyce Marie Gombar

Watch the Tribute Joyce Marie Gombar October 22, 1927 - September 01, 2011 Graveside Services for Joyce M. Gombar, 83, of Lovington, NM will be on Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM at Lovington Cemetery with Bro. Danny Kirkpatrick officiating. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to The Joyce Gombar Nursing Scholarship Fund, NMJC Foundation, at the New Mexico Junior College, 5317 Lovington Hwy. Hobbs, NM. If only one more minute to have her with us. My brothers and I are so fortunate to have had such a wonderful mother. She was born October 22, 1927 in Chardon, Ohio to Paul & Ethel Lampman and grew up in a house her father built on a corner piece of the Chardon family farm. He moved Ethel & Joyce into the three level house taking in boarders to help with expenses. Joyce graduated from Chardon High School. Following High School graduation she attended Ohio State studying Nursing. Here she would meet the love of her life, John Gombar. They were married in December of 1951 and with money tight, Joyce foregoes the expense of a wedding dress and married in a green suit. This selfless action was like every action throughout her life, always putting aside things for herself so she could do for those she loved. With college degree in hand, John and Joyce set about their future. John joined the US Air Force and as a commissioned officer, John & Joyce attended many Air Force social events. This took them to England for many years and Joyce & John visited several countries, including France, Italy, and Germany. Joyce gave birth to their first son, John Paul on February 8, 1955 and named him after both of his grandfathers, John Gombar Sr. and Paul Lampman. Being born in England, John Paul had dual citizenship. On March 17, 1956, she gave birth to a second son, David Gary Gombar, who also would have dual citizenship. After John’s four year Air Force stint in England, Joyce, her husband and two sons in tow and one on the way (a girl) returned to the USA. As Joyce’s dad did with his young family, they built a home on a corner piece of the Gombar farm, given to them by her in-laws, John & Mary Gombar. Joyce taught Home Economics at Midview Schools and John was a sales representative. Her three children spent an idyllic childhood raised on the the family dairy farm surrounded by their grandparents, relatives and family friends. They centered their vacations on family. Annual summer trips always included visiting historic places the children were studying in school such as Monticello. Joyce and her family piled into the family station wagon for cross country trips visiting Florida, the Virginias and Texas. They would remain on the farm until son David’s medical condition required the family to move to a drier climate. Joyce’s parents, Paul & Ethel Lampman moved to Lovington, NM in 1950 as Paul’s crippling arthritic medical condition also required a drier climate. Joyce began her 24-year career with New Mexico Junior College in 1970 during which she complete her Master’s in Nursing. She would launch one of the most successful nursing programs in the state! She proudly touted her nursing students and how proud she was of the one young aide who assisted her during her brief stay at the hospital & nursing home, as she had received the Joyce Gombar Scholarship this year. Her many accomplishments cumulated with receipt of the Nursing Legend Award. For all of her accomplishments, she told us she was most proud of her children. She boasted she could not ask for a better son-in-law than Glenn. Our selfless mother, may she rest in peace with our love. Survivors include son John Gombar & wife Heike, son David Gombar, daughter, Vickie Crenshaw and husband Glenn, Honorary son, Scott Bodziony, grandchildren: Gretchen Green and husband Rex, John David Gombar, John E. Gombar, Drew Gombar, great-grandchildren: Paxton Green and Gatlin Green. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Gombar, her parents, Paul & Ethel Lampman and brother, Jim Lampman. Joyce’s accomplishments included but not limited to were, establishing the first career Mobility Nursing Program in the State of NM; establishing the Medical Laboratory Technician Program in 1981; established through a cooperative agreement with Lea Regional Hospital an associate degree in the Radiology program; obtaining initial & continuing accreditation for the nursing, radiology and medical lab technicians programs. She was also a member of the American Assoc. of University Women, Lea County Local Monitoring Board, Sigma Theta Tau, Lea County Cancer Society, National League for Nursing, Am. Nurses’ Assoc and the NM Junior College Speaker’ Bureau; Nat’l League for Nursing Board of Review Member and the Vocational Assoc. .