Monongah Water Plant chief operator and assistant Monongah Fire Department chief Bill McCombs, Class of 1969, is retiring. He’s retired before but then came back to train his water plant replacement, who bailed out after a few months. Again and again. So Bill stayed. Till now.

The town gave him a plaque. And a heartfelt “thank you, Bill McCombs!!”

Bill’s wife is Monongah Town Recorder Patty Steele McCombs, a Fairmont East graduate deeply involved in promoting the annual Monongahfest Festival. They’ve been married 42 years. She moved to Monongah in her 20s, around the time she married Bill. Patty has been Town Recorder for 16 years. Bill has served on Monongah’s Town Council, off and on, for more than 20 years. And put in 23 years making sure Monongah’s water was safe to drink.

“When you come (to Monongah), you feel like no one is a stranger in this town because everyone always treats you as if they’ve known you forever,” Patty said.

Bill and Patty owned for five years the Dairy Kone built and operated by Amelia Shenasky Zentz and her late husband Bruce Zentz.

 

In 2014 Bill got the Perkins Boynton Award given out to West Virginia water operators. Only two are handed out each year.

Monongah fire chief Harless McCombs, Class of 1976, is Bill McCombs’ brother. Harless is married to Monongah Middle School language arts teacher and children's book author Lisa Myers McCombs, Class of 1977. Their brother, Kevin McCombs, is married to Vicky McCombs.

Bill McCombs won the Monongah mayoral race several years ago when his name was drawn from a hat to break a tie with incumbent Don Harris. But after the state ruled that he couldn’t be both mayor and town water director, Bill resigned as mayor. 

 

Bill’s wife, Patty, broke the tie that put Greg Vandetta into the mayor’s chair. Vandetta Construction owner Greg is married to Monongahfest president Debbie Manzo Vandetta, Class of 1973.

JohnBoy Palmer succeeded Greg as Monongah’s mayor in the last election.

Now that Bill has retired, again, Patty says:

“He is just going to enjoy fishing and camping at Big Bear Lake,” their home away from home when they weren’t making Monongah a better place to live.

So, let’s hang up the sign: Gone Fishing!

Forever. Maybe. Particularly, April 1 to October 31, when Big Bear Lake Family Campgrounds in Bruceton Mills is wide open for outdoor activists.