Mariam McCombs Pillow, 98

Published 10:19 pm Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mariam McCombs Pillow, 98
April 14, 1913 — Dec. 16, 2011

Mariam McCombs Pillow, 98, of Edwardsburg, Michigan, was surrounded by her loving family, at her home, when she went to be with the Lord on Friday, December 16, 2011.  To all who knew her during her beautiful life, God had lent them an angel for a while.

Pillow

Mariam was born on April 14, 1913, in Granger, Indiana to Roy and May (Kownover) McCombs, and grew up with five brothers and sisters (John Andrew, Willis J., Daniel C., Marjorie Eleanor, and Florence B.) on their family farm on State Road 23.  Mariam had a great love for learning from an early age.  When she was 13, she won the South Bend News-Times/St. Joseph County School Spelling Competition that qualified her for the Second Annual National Spelling Bee in Louisville, Kentucky.  She graduated as salutatorian of her class from Edwardsburg High School in 1931, and went on to study nursing at the Kalamazoo State Hospital Training School for Nurses.  In 1934, she graduated with highest honors and continued with post-graduate training in obstetrics nursing at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas.
Mariam married John McPhail Pillow in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, and they later moved to their lifelong home in Edwardsburg, Michigan where they raised their four beloved children (Don McCombs, Jon Michael, Ron McPhail, and Nancy May).  She devoted her life to her children and grandchildren, and enjoyed a rewarding nursing career that spanned nearly six decades.  A pioneer in children’s, psychiatric, women’s, and convalescent nursing, Mariam compassionately touched the lives of countless others with her service at Kalamazoo State Hospital, Baylor University Hospital, Grace and Women’s Hospital of Detroit, Memorial Hospital of South Bend, Indiana, Americana Nursing Home of Elkhart, Indiana, and to individual families through home health care.  From 1968 – 1975, she was recognized by the Elkhart nursing community for her ‘service to humanity’.
Mariam was a warm, sensitive, and caring individual who valued all the people she connected with in her life.  She loved being a mother and grandmother, and enjoyed lifelong relationships with her brothers, sisters, and cousins.  With her love for family, she passionately enjoyed cooking, baking, vegetable and flower gardening, sewing, quilting, letter writing, card games, college and professional sports, and reading.  Mariam will always be remembered by her family for her loving holiday feasts at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Her homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, pies, tarts, orange chiffon cake, old-fashioned popcorn, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs, and round steak will be fondly missed.
Mariam will equally be remembered for her fun, playful, and feisty nature. Always engaged, she spent endless afternoons, weekends, summers, and holidays with her grandchildren going on walks, having picnics at Russ Forest Park, playing solitaire, harvesting vegetables, picking flowers and cattails, baking pies and tarts, going for car rides (that often included dirt roads and fun bumps), visiting aunts/uncles and cousins, sledding, and watching Notre Dame games.
Mariam was a woman of extraordinary love and humanity – her selflessness, generosity, compassion, courage, strength, intelligence, creativity, and wit were second to none.  Despite experiencing several life-changing events including a devastating fall from a second-story apartment window, the death of her young son Jon, a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the early deaths of her grandson Michael and husband John, she courageously triumphed through her love for others. Her beautiful countenance and kind presence are unforgettable, and will always be in her family’s heart.
She was preceded in death by her son Jon (7, 1945-1952), half-son John Thomas (81, 1927-2009) of Port Orange, Florida, grandson Michael (15, 1965-1980) of Union, Michigan, husband John (82, 1901-1983), and three brothers:  Andrew (82, 1911-1983), Willis (84, 1914-1999), and Daniel McCombs (82, 1918-2001) of Granger, Indiana.
Mariam is survived by her two sisters:  Florence Middleton of Granger, Indiana and Eleanor Tejchma of Muskegon, Michigan; three children:  Don Pillow of Union, Michigan, Ron Pillow of Union, Michigan, and Nancy Covey of Niles, Michigan; ten grandchildren:  Diana (Guy) Pillow of Orlando, Florida, Denise (Michael) Danforth of Marco Island, Florida, Nicolla Covey of Albuquerque, New Mexico, John Pillow of Edwardsburg, Michigan, Collene (Seaghan) Covey-Brien of Chicago, Illinois, Jimmy Covey of Scotts, Michigan, Jenny Covey of Bristol, Tennessee, Sarah Covey of Dowagiac, Michigan, Nickie Pillow of Edwardsburg, Michigan, and Tiffany Pillow of Elkhart, Indiana; eight great grandchildren:  Michael Danforth of Orlando, Florida, Matthew Danforth of Marco Island, Florida,  Austin Pillow of Edwardsburg, Michigan, Brooke King of Edwardsburg, Michigan, Logan Smith of Bristol, Tennessee, Trenton Pillow of Edwardsburg, Michigan, Shaylee Ingold of Elkhart, Indiana, and Kaitlyn Ingold of Elkhart, Indiana; and one great-great grandson: Landon Danforth of Marco Island, Florida.
Arrangements have been made by the Paul E. Mayhew Funeral Home of Edwardsburg, Michigan, and cremation rites have been accorded.  Memorials may be made to Hospice at Home Inc. of Saint Joseph, Michigan in lieu of flowers (www.hospiceathomecares.org).