Virginia Treacy Combs

Virginia Combs, 34 years young, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2026, after a hard fought battle with ovarian cancer. She is predeceased by her grandparents, Carol and Chuck Bauerschmidt (2024/2018), and Peg and Van Combs (2018/1990); and her Uncle Tim Lewis (2013).  She is survived by her parents, Clare and Jim; brothers, Jimmy and Teddy; nineteen aunts and uncles and 27 cousins from the Verget, Lewis, Topel, Young, Bauerschmidt, Sadler/Green families and the Combs and O’Dell families. Also mourning her loss are her partner, Justin Stimatze (Berkeley, CA), and dear friend, Bex Clifford (London, England). In addition, Virginia is survived by friends from St. Joseph’s School in Penfield, Our Lady of Mercy HS, Loyola Marymount University, the UK, and a large volleyball community. 

Virginia was born on her dad’s birthday on January 5, 1992, and from an early age, along with her two younger brothers, enjoyed countless hours of fun, extended-family times celebrating holidays, group birthdays, milestones and sporting events. Many family road trips took us out of state to visit aunts, uncles and cousins. Annual trips to Stanley, Iowa to visit their adoring Great Aunt Mary Meyer or to Pine Lake, Minnesota where the cousins enjoyed sleeping in a tent, fishing and trips to local agricultural farms created other fond memories.

As Virginia and Jimmy and Teddy got older, family trips mostly revolved around cousin college and club volleyball tournaments, and later, as participants of their own club volleyball games and tournaments.  

After completing 6th grade at St. Joseph’s (SJS), Virginia attended Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women (OLM), where she was a member of the Math Club, Women’s Choir, National Honor Society, a Latin Scholar, a multi-year contributor to Mercedes and a four year Varsity Volleyball player, known as “Spice” to her teammates. She also sang the National Anthem before games. During this time, she played club volleyball and CYO basketball, where her St. Joe’s team was coached by her dad.  

Upon graduation from OLM in 2010, she enrolled in the Honors Program at MCC, and in three semesters, obtained an AAS degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. She played on the Women’s Volleyball team (and sang the National Anthem before the VB games and hockey games) and in May of 2012, MCC Athletics issued Virginia the Sportsmanship Award. In January 2012, New York State honored Virginia with the NYS Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. 

In the summer of 2012, Virginia’s dad drove her cross country to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University (LMU). She enrolled in the honors program in the English Department. She was a contributor and editor of the LMU literary publication “miscellany” and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014 with a BA degree in English (Writing Emphasis). Also at LMU she assisted the women’s volleyball team, and keeping up with tradition, sang the National Anthem before games.

In 2020, Virginia moved to Oxford England to attend Oxford Brookes University and in 2021, received her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Creative Writing. Her proud parents attended her graduation.  

Virginia’s professional career included Research Assistant at UCLA, Learning Coach for LA Galaxy and Executive Administrator for Scott Copeland Talent. For the last several years, Virginia has worked remotely as Producer of the podcast, Talking with Teens, and as a Project Manager & Editor/Ghostwriter at Write it Great, where she’s worked for the last 4.5 years until last month when her illness regrettably caused her to step away from her writing and editing responsibilities.

Virginia was a volunteer girls volleyball coach at OLM and Paradigm VBC and coached a boys 12U club team in Oxford. She created and produced her own podcast, Well-Bred and Well-Brewed. She co-authored a cookbook and self-published doing dishes, a collection of love poems; and the children’s book, Henry the Hummingbird. She was a world traveler for her entire adult life visiting and living in over 20 different countries including Peru, UK, Greece, Latvia, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Albania, and New Zealand to name a few. She experienced three solar eclipses and the summer solstice at Stonehenge. She attended the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Concert in London and last July, Virginia and her extended family attended the wedding of her cousin, Alex, in County Kerry, Ireland.   

Virginia was passionate about inspiring others to live their fullest life and she was dedicated to making thought-provoking, beautiful things that bring people together. Virginia is indeed and always will be an inspiration to the countless number of people whose lives she touched and her fiercely passionate spirit will live on in the hearts of her many friends and loved ones.  

Virginia’s family would like to thank the many family members and friends who visited her during her final days, especially, Justin, Brooke, Keeze, Meg, and CJ, and her RoomFriends from LMU, Julia, Angelee, and Emily. We are also deeply grateful for the high level of care and compassion extended to Virginia and her family by the Highland Hospital Staff. Specifically the Infusion Center, Emergency Department, ICU and especially East Tower 6.

Attendees of the calling hours and funeral are encouraged to wear brightly colored clothing in honor of Virginia’s bright and colorful spirit.

Calling hours are 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Thursday, May 14, at Jennings, Nulton, & Mattle Funeral Home (1704 Penfield Road, Penfield). Virginia’s funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 15, at St. Joseph's Church (43 Gebhardt Road, Penfield). Burial will be private. To view her Funeral Mass by livestream click Here

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, Office of Financial Aid, 1437 Blossom Road, Rochester, NY 14610, and St. Joseph School Foundation, 39 Gebhardt Rd., Penfield, NY  14526 or the charity of your choice.