BILLINGS — On Sunday, Bill Luscombe turned 100 years old and was celebrated by friends and family with a party at the 1145 Club in Billings, where he continues to play pool five times a week.
“Oh, they’re putting on a little show 'cause I turned 100," said Luscombe. "It’s kind of fun, but it’s also embarrassing.”
He was described by friends Jerry Stump and Susan Miller as a gentleman with a big heart. Everyone MTN spoke to praised Luscombe's patience, a quality pool players said is essential to mastering billiards.
“You go to a bar and you’re playing somebody — if they’re having fun and laughing ... maybe they’re just a great player, but the players that are really good, you can tell, just from their face," said Mike Cuellar, a friend of Luscombe and a Billiard Congress of America (BCA) pool league operator.
Luscombe, who is a Coast Guard veteran and retired truck driver remains, by all accounts, humble and shy.
“Well, accomplishment, for me, is making a ball," said Luscombe.
