LUBBOCK, Texas — The Combs family is preparing for the fifth annual Holly’s Hope Barbecue and Chili Cook-Off at Cook’s Garage. The fundraiser is held to raise money for domestic abuse awareness after their daughter, Holly Combs, who was fatally stabbed by her husband of seven weeks in October 2014.
Chip Combs, Holly’s father, said she was always joking and loved to laugh.
“[She was] was never serious about anything,” Chip Combs said. “She loved playing softball and she loved her family.”
Chip Combs said at around 11 p.m. of the night she died, he received a phone call his daughter had been stabbed, and to drive to Amarillo, where the couple had gone to visit some friends.
Chip Combs said he remembers seeing red flags early on into the marriage.
“Before she was murdered, we started noticing some difference in her, how he was keeping her away from all of her family and they just lived a half a mile from us,” Chip Combs said.
Chip Combs said he tried to get his daughter to stay with them at their home in Ropesville.
“But before I could get back to the house the next morning, she was already leaving with him,” Chip Combs said.
After finding out about the news, Chip Combs did not think her injuries were as critical until he made it to the hospital.
“I remember I was just thinking, I’m just gonna get up there, stitch her up and we’ll bring her back home. Well that wasn’t in the plans,” Chip Combs said. “Went through some tests and they decided that she was brain dead from all the trauma.”
Chip Combs said her then husband, William Chet Stewart, had by that time been arrested. He has since been convicted of murder, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.
Since then, the family has began Holly’s Hope. They have awarded scholarships and donated to non-profits, Chip Combs said.
“It’s okay to talk about it, it’s okay to ask for help,” Chip Combs said.
He said he thinks his daughter would be proud of what they have done.
“She would be very proud of all her friends and family what we’ve accomplished in a short time. The scholarships we’ve given out. The Holly Combs Act being passed through the Texas state senate and just the community’s reaction to our event,” Combs said.
The event will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13.
The date to enter the contest is Friday, July 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be a cooks meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, the event begins at 10 a.m. with bean cooking, and will end with brisket cooking before 5 p.m. The awards and guest speaker will begin at 5 p.m.
There will also be live music and a silent auction.
For more information, head on over to their website, https://hollyshope.godaddysites.com