Bloomington mourns Dan “Carp” Combs as memories pour in of teacher, trustee, and fierce advocate

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Photo by Steve Higgs

Staff report

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — January 6, 2026

Dan Combs — the longtime Perry Township trustee, former Bloomington High School South teacher, and unmistakable civic voice known to many as “Carp” — died Tuesday morning.

The Bloomingtonian confirmed Combs’ death with his son, Levi Combs, who said an obituary will be shared in a couple days after he has time to process the loss of his father.

On The Bloomingtonian’s Facebook post announcing Combs’ death, former students remembered a teacher who didn’t just teach history and government — he made people feel seen, challenged, and engaged.

“Mr. Combs, my favorite history teacher!! I remember his hot pepper challenges, he always knew the best way to keep us students engaged,” Cheryl Bruce wrote.

Synjin Robertson echoed that sense of presence and impact: “One teacher that you NEVER will forget, if you stepped foot in his class! He definitely made an impact in my life…”

Others recalled reminders that Combs’ influence didn’t end when people left his classroom.

“I was a lost teenager for a long time. I don’t remember much about the content of his class, but I remember how he made me feel,” Molly Blade wrote. “He scratched my brain, he challenged our thinking… the mark of a true educator.”

Sonya Wright remembered the small, eccentric details that made him unforgettable: “He was a jokester who cared deeply for his students and his community… Mr. Combs used to collect unique spam cans from around the world and used them as learning tools.”

Combs’ public life was equally vivid for people who knew him as trustee — the guy who would argue with power, but also pick up the phone, work the problem, and try to keep people afloat.

“He was such a caring and generous man,” Karin Chestnut wrote. “When I lived in Perry Township… he helped me get caught up in rent and utilities and didn’t even require the work back as I was a single mother at that time with 5 young kids.”

For many, Combs was the rare official who could be compassionate without being naïve — someone who understood systems, but still dealt with human beings as human beings.

Top fan Janis Starcs described that balance: “He was compassionate, but he knew human nature well enough not to be taken advantage of.”

And for those who followed him over decades — from letters to the editor, to columns, to Facebook posts — Combs was remembered as a writer with a distinctive voice and a moral center.

Julie Creek, a former Herald-Times reporter, wrote: “He was a terrific source, honest, forthright, and hilarious! He was deeply involved in sticking up for marginalized people… What a guy! We’ll miss him something awful.”

Steve Hinnefeld recalled meeting Combs as far back as the mid-1980s and emphasized what many others also said: the man could write, and the man could love.

“Everything he wrote, from H-T guest columns to FB rants, was worth reading,” Hinnefeld wrote, adding: “He was probably the world’s most devoted grandfather, and likely the most fun.”

A number of commenters spoke about how Combs’ online presence became a kind of compass — a place to check the weather, check the politics, check the pulse of the town.

“Often, when I was questioning something going on the world… I knew to go straight to Dan’s Facebook page,” Rebecca Swanson wrote. “His integrity and knowledge earned all my trust.”

Jean Capler wrote that Combs’ humor helped people endure hard times: “Anyone who can make me laugh in his posts about this insanity is a gem… And his poetry helped me so much to recenter.”

Some memories were deeply personal, like Kim Rodman’s story of Combs and his wife Pat hosting a watch party so she could see herself on MTV — and sending her home with a VHS copy afterward.

“His sense of humor is legendary. His kindness and thoughtfulness are legendary as well,” Rodman wrote.

Others spoke of Combs’ mentorship and practical wisdom — the kind you don’t forget.

TJ Acton Jensen remembered working with him while interning at the trustee’s office in the 1990s: “He was a great mentor during my years at IU… Sending my condolences to all who knew and loved Dan.”

And Marc Teller shared a story that read like a short story — a winter moment outside the trustee’s office, a few tents, a quick response, and Combs’ instinct to look out for the person trying to look out for everyone else.

“You must be Marc… I need you to know that it’s 45 degrees out, and it’s too cold for that motorcycle… you’re spending too much time looking out for others and nobody is looking out for you,” Teller quoted Combs as saying. Teller ended the story simply: “I put the motorcycle away for the winter that day.”

In the flood of stories, one line landed like a closing argument.

“Dan knew how to spell democracy,” Jim Madison wrote.

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