Dorothy “Dodi” Waunneta Starr McCombs squeezed every last drop out of life until it exhausted her on May 1, 2026. She died feeling loved, surrounded by loving notes, cards, photos and art from people throughout her life.
Our world is better because she was here.
Strikingly beautiful in heart, body and mind, she chose a life of giving. None received more than her husband of nearly 62 years, Robert “Bob” McCombs, who made her laugh incessantly, and her children, Shannon, Chris and Wendy, who lit up her world when they arrived, and even more when they brought her six grandchildren. Our faces and art adorned her walls, alongside the Christmas clock that chimed carols year-round.
A stubborn and generationally impactful educator, she taught thousands from 1961 to 2016, including more than 40 years in kindergarten and starting a preschool program at South Ridge Elementary. Like Mary Poppins, everything could become a game, and music filled the home. Charts and lists were her specialty, helping her manage kindergartners, tennis players and her husband of 61 years when he had dementia.
She never stopped loving first.
Love looked like a full pantry with your favorite snack, even if you didn’t live at her house; an open invitation to her home; a “mom to the rescue”; or a fight with the school board when they said kindergartners shouldn’t be taught to read.
She gave great side-eye.
She loved a fast car, her favorite being a red Trans Am with a T-top and an 8-track player blasting the Beach Boys. She had perfect pitch and carried a radio on her shoulder at school to soothe the stress of change after her mother passed away. A theater student in high school, she learned acting and makeup artistry; yet she was so shy others thought she didn’t know how to speak English. Seeing fashion as costumes, she wore a paper dress in the 1960s and could look like Priscilla Presley when the other wives looked like June Cleaver.
She was a first-generation college graduate and earned a master’s degree. She never sat down, causing us to plead with her to join us at family meals. She was never on time, but she always had time to listen and be there for you, no matter how important it seemed to be.
She somehow knew the secret of life was in the people, in the relationships and in how you care. When we said or did something against that, she prayed for us, settled into a great detective novel and ate dessert.
We miss her but know she’s watching over us whenever we hear Christmas music outside the holiday season.
Her family includes:
Her husband:
Robert “Bob” R. McCombs (preceded her in death)
Their children:
Shannon W. McCombs (daughter) and her children, Rhys C. Colson and Tirion D. Colson
Robert C. McCombs (son) and his wife, Jolene R. Mash, and their children, Shelby R. McCombs Ferguson and Lauren McCombs
Wendy T. McCombs Anderson (daughter) and her husband, Barry J. Anderson, and their children, Elliott J. Anderson and Matilda W. Anderson
Her parents:
Emma “Waunneta” Gepford Starr (mother, preceded her in death)
Harry “Al” Starr Jr. (father, preceded her in death)
Her siblings:
Barbara Starr, Cragin Starr, Art Starr and Ed Starr
...and all those she brought into her heart and taught through the years.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Washington Elementary School Kindergarten, 2908 S St., Vancouver, WA 98663.
Services and a reception will be held June 19 at 10 a.m. at Liberty Bible Church, 12401 NE Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver, WA 98686.
