Pike County Circuit Court Judge Steve Combs, a former Pikeville mayor, dies at 60

Pike County Circuit Court Judge Steve Combs, 60, a former Pikeville mayor and city commissioner, died of a sudden illness on Monday.

Combs, a Democrat, was appointed to the Pike County Circuit Court in 2003 by then-Gov. Paul Patton and won two subsequent elections to retain his seat on the bench. His current term would have ended January 1, 2023.

He is survived by his wife, Teresa Combs, and his three children, Amanda, Stephanie, and Noah.

Friends, family and co-workers remember Combs as a proud father, avid bird hunter, farmer and dedicated public servant.

“Steve was, in my opinion, one of the smartest, most capable circuit judges we have in the state,” said Richard Getty, a Lexington attorney and long-time friend of Combs.

Combs graduated from Pikeville High School and attended the University of Kentucky, where he graduated from the College of Law in 1986. He then returned to Pikeville and worked as an attorney at his father’s law firm, Combs & Combs, P.S.C.

Combs launched his political career shortly after his return to Eastern Kentucky. He ran for Pikeville’s city commissioner in 1988 and mayor in 1994, winning both elections.

“When he became mayor, the town really started taking off,” said Kent Varney, Pike County Family Court Judge. “He was mayor at the time that the town really started growing and really started prospering to what it is today, and he’s still remembered for that, he was part of the foundation of that.”

He also served as chairman of Pikeville’s Public Housing Authority from 1996 to 1998, was a member of the Pikeville United Methodist Church and a founding member of the board of directors of the Pikeville University School of Osteopathic Medicine.

As a judge, Combs was well-liked by attorneys who practiced in his courtroom. He was known for his well-rounded understanding of the law, his fairness and his professionalism.

“Most attorneys loved him,” said Anna Spears, Pike County Circuit Court Clerk. “He was good to all of them. Even if he didn’t rule in their favor, there was never hardly any hard feelings. He was pretty much by-the-book, black-and-white with the law.”

Combs was the son of a prominent and wealthy family in Pikeville. On several occasions, Spears said Combs would write checks for staff members who were sick or had family members suffering from severe illnesses.

“He was very financially stable and generous with what he had, and not because he wanted any press or any thanks for it. Most of what he did was quietly, to people that were in need,” said Chris Harris, a Democratic state representative. “His generosity, I think, will be missed by a lot of people that we’ll never even know about.”

Multiple friends of Combs, a life-long Democrat, said he enjoyed talking politics with his friends and fellow attorneys after court cases or in his private time.

Ned Pillersdorf, an attorney in Prestonsburg, said he and Combs joked that the two of them comprised the majority of “the 3 percent,” referring the minority of Eastern Kentuckians who voted for President Barack Obama in 2008.

Pillersdorf, who came to Kentucky as a public defender in the early 1980s, said he was nervous when Combs was appointed as Circuit Court Judge because of his wealth and his previous legal career representing coal companies.

“He was exactly the opposite of what I expected. He really looked out for the less fortunate,” Pillersdorf said. “To me, he was an unforgettable judge in that he came from a background where you would not expect him to make the kinds of rulings that he made.”

Combs was known for his friendliness toward attorneys and courtroom staff — Pillersdorf called it a “country affect.” He was quick to shake hands, ask about people’s families and often politely brag about his own.

Rick Bartley, former commonwealth attorney in Pikeville, said Combs proved especially kind and professional with people facing criminal charges.

“In watching him over about 18 years of being on the bench, I never saw him mistreat any attorney, participant or court personnel,” Bartley said. “You’d think that’s the way it ought to be, but in reality that’s not always the way it is, but it was always the way Steve Combs conducted himself in his courtroom.”

Phillip Wheeler, a Republican state senator, attorney and life-long friend of Combs, said he’ll remember Combs for his compassion and generosity, both on the bench and as a citizen of Pikeville.

“Generous is really an understatement,” Wheeler said. “The guy had a heart of gold, he really did. He really cared for the less fortunate.”

While ruling on criminal cases, Wheeler said Combs was unusually sympathetic to people facing jail time, even if the court ruled a person guilty.

“The pain on his face that he had to do it was something you could really see,” Wheeler said. “I think he wanted people to get their lives together and do well, he really did.”

Combs was a dedicated hunter and outdoorsman. He ran cattle on a piece of property near Pikeville and spent much of his free time working on the farm.

He was also a proud father and husband. Multiple people close to Combs said that given the opportunity, he would prefer talking about his children and their accomplishments more than anything else.

“He was so dedicated to his family and to the city of Pikeville,” said Pike County Commonwealth Attorney Bill Slone. “It is just a tremendous loss to our judicial system and to the city of Pikeville and Pike County, to society in general. We were better off with Steve Combs.”

In lieu of flowers, Combs’ family asks people instead donate to the Pikeville United Methodist Church Food Pantry.

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 1:51 PM.