MAYESVILLE — William "Billy" Alexander Dabbs, 90, died Thursday, June 6, 2013, at his home in Mayesville.
Mr. Dabbs was the son of Eugene Whitfield Dabbs Jr. and Stella Glasscock Dabbs and grew up in the Salem Black River community. He was the oldest survivor of the E.W. Dabbs family and the last member of the family to have spent his entire career farming.
He attended Clemson College and joined the Navy during World War II, serving as a pilot ferrying planes back and forth between bases.
He designed and built his own family home over a period of several years along St. Charles Road, 15 miles from where he grew up. He spent years collecting lumber, furniture, fixtures, mantels and door frames from as far away as Alabama to have the home he and Lynda wanted. Mr. Dabbs was well known and loved throughout Sumter and Lee counties.
Mr. Dabbs was a member of Salem Black River Presbyterian Church where he served faithfully as a ruling elder. He also attended Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Dabbs was known for many things, but few could ever eclipse his ability to weave a good story and entertain people endlessly with his humorous recollections of his life and the lives of those around him. In a family where the joy in the story has always been highly valued, Billy Dabbs was king and held the spotlight at any gathering.
A constant reader with an unusual curiosity about every facet of life, he never stopped learning. Evenings spent over dinners that lasted for hours debating world affairs, politics, religion, literature, science or philosophy were common. Never without some project, his farm overflowed with fruit trees and vegetables, plus a never-ending array of alternative farming techniques: some successful, others amusing, but always memorable.
Even in his final days, he and his long time neighbor and friend, John Plowden, had plans for a fish farm, an outdoor kitchen for processing and a new addition to his house to give him more time to write.
He leaves an empty hole in the hearts of many but memories that are richly cherished. For those who knew him, there will never be any doubt as to what kind of man he was. His image, his smile and the sound of his voice are as much a part of us today as when we were fortunate enough to have him at our side.
In 1943, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lynda Louise Corbett, (1923-2007) of Mayesville. Together they raised four children, Cheryl Dabbs Chapman, William A. Dabbs Jr., Sade Dabbs Fryer and Hamilton Dabbs Stoddard; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Dabbs Bevan of Salem Black River; two brothers, Thomas McBride Dabbs and Joseph Samuel Dabbs of Fernandina Beach, Fla., plus kith and kin too numerous to mention.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Salem Black River Church (Brick Church) with Dr. Mark Durrett and the Rev. James E. Clark officiating.
Interment will be at the Mayesville Cemetery.
The family will receive visitors following the service at his home at Windsong on the Mayesville, St. Charles Road.
The family wishes to thank Mrs. Debbie Kirven and Mr. John Plowden for their friendship and loving care provided.
The family wishes any donations to be made to Salem Black River Presbyterian Church, care of of Mrs. John S. Wilson, 81 Nash St., Sumter, SC 29150; the Mayesville Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 144, Mayesville, SC 29104; the Mayesville ARP Church, P.O. Box 237, Mayesville, SC 29104; United Ministries of Sumter, P.O. Box 1017, Sumter, SC 29151; or to a charity of one's choice.
Mr. Dabbs was the son of Eugene Whitfield Dabbs Jr. and Stella Glasscock Dabbs and grew up in the Salem Black River community. He was the oldest survivor of the E.W. Dabbs family and the last member of the family to have spent his entire career farming.
He attended Clemson College and joined the Navy during World War II, serving as a pilot ferrying planes back and forth between bases.
He designed and built his own family home over a period of several years along St. Charles Road, 15 miles from where he grew up. He spent years collecting lumber, furniture, fixtures, mantels and door frames from as far away as Alabama to have the home he and Lynda wanted. Mr. Dabbs was well known and loved throughout Sumter and Lee counties.
Mr. Dabbs was a member of Salem Black River Presbyterian Church where he served faithfully as a ruling elder. He also attended Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Dabbs was known for many things, but few could ever eclipse his ability to weave a good story and entertain people endlessly with his humorous recollections of his life and the lives of those around him. In a family where the joy in the story has always been highly valued, Billy Dabbs was king and held the spotlight at any gathering.
A constant reader with an unusual curiosity about every facet of life, he never stopped learning. Evenings spent over dinners that lasted for hours debating world affairs, politics, religion, literature, science or philosophy were common. Never without some project, his farm overflowed with fruit trees and vegetables, plus a never-ending array of alternative farming techniques: some successful, others amusing, but always memorable.
Even in his final days, he and his long time neighbor and friend, John Plowden, had plans for a fish farm, an outdoor kitchen for processing and a new addition to his house to give him more time to write.
He leaves an empty hole in the hearts of many but memories that are richly cherished. For those who knew him, there will never be any doubt as to what kind of man he was. His image, his smile and the sound of his voice are as much a part of us today as when we were fortunate enough to have him at our side.
In 1943, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lynda Louise Corbett, (1923-2007) of Mayesville. Together they raised four children, Cheryl Dabbs Chapman, William A. Dabbs Jr., Sade Dabbs Fryer and Hamilton Dabbs Stoddard; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Dabbs Bevan of Salem Black River; two brothers, Thomas McBride Dabbs and Joseph Samuel Dabbs of Fernandina Beach, Fla., plus kith and kin too numerous to mention.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Salem Black River Church (Brick Church) with Dr. Mark Durrett and the Rev. James E. Clark officiating.
Interment will be at the Mayesville Cemetery.
The family will receive visitors following the service at his home at Windsong on the Mayesville, St. Charles Road.
The family wishes to thank Mrs. Debbie Kirven and Mr. John Plowden for their friendship and loving care provided.
The family wishes any donations to be made to Salem Black River Presbyterian Church, care of of Mrs. John S. Wilson, 81 Nash St., Sumter, SC 29150; the Mayesville Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 144, Mayesville, SC 29104; the Mayesville ARP Church, P.O. Box 237, Mayesville, SC 29104; United Ministries of Sumter, P.O. Box 1017, Sumter, SC 29151; or to a charity of one's choice.
MAYESVILLE — William "Billy" Alexander Dabbs, 90, died Thursday, June 6, 2013, at his home in Mayesville.
Mr. Dabbs was the son of Eugene Whitfield Dabbs Jr. and Stella Glasscock Dabbs and grew up in the Salem Black River community. He was the oldest survivor of the E.W. Dabbs family and the last member of the family to have spent his entire career farming.
He attended Clemson College and joined the Navy during World War II, serving as a pilot ferrying planes back and forth between bases.
He designed and built his own family home over a period of several years along St. Charles Road, 15 miles from where he grew up. He spent years collecting lumber, furniture, fixtures, mantels and door frames from as far away as Alabama to have the home he and Lynda wanted. Mr. Dabbs was well known and loved throughout Sumter and Lee counties.
Mr. Dabbs was a member of Salem Black River Presbyterian Church where he served faithfully as a ruling elder. He also attended Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Dabbs was known for many things, but few could ever eclipse his ability to weave a good story and entertain people endlessly with his humorous recollections of his life and the lives of those around him. In a family where the joy in the story has always been highly valued, Billy Dabbs was king and held the spotlight at any gathering.
A constant reader with an unusual curiosity about every facet of life, he never stopped learning. Evenings spent over dinners that lasted for hours debating world affairs, politics, religion, literature, science or philosophy were common. Never without some project, his farm overflowed with fruit trees and vegetables, plus a never-ending array of alternative farming techniques: some successful, others amusing, but always memorable.
Even in his final days, he and his long time neighbor and friend, John Plowden, had plans for a fish farm, an outdoor kitchen for processing and a new addition to his house to give him more time to write.
He leaves an empty hole in the hearts of many but memories that are richly cherished. For those who knew him, there will never be any doubt as to what kind of man he was. His image, his smile and the sound of his voice are as much a part of us today as when we were fortunate enough to have him at our side.
In 1943, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lynda Louise Corbett, (1923-2007) of Mayesville. Together they raised four children, Cheryl Dabbs Chapman, William A. Dabbs Jr., Sade Dabbs Fryer and Hamilton Dabbs Stoddard; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Dabbs Bevan of Salem Black River; two brothers, Thomas McBride Dabbs and Joseph Samuel Dabbs of Fernandina Beach, Fla., plus kith and kin too numerous to mention.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Salem Black River Church (Brick Church) with Dr. Mark Durrett and the Rev. James E. Clark officiating.
Interment will be at the Mayesville Cemetery.
The family will receive visitors following the service at his home at Windsong on the Mayesville, St. Charles Road.
The family wishes to thank Mrs. Debbie Kirven and Mr. John Plowden for their friendship and loving care provided.
The family wishes any donations to be made to Salem Black River Presbyterian Church, care of of Mrs. John S. Wilson, 81 Nash St., Sumter, SC 29150; the Mayesville Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 144, Mayesville, SC 29104; the Mayesville ARP Church, P.O. Box 237, Mayesville, SC 29104; United Ministries of Sumter, P.O. Box 1017, Sumter, SC 29151; or to a charity of one's choice.
Mr. Dabbs was the son of Eugene Whitfield Dabbs Jr. and Stella Glasscock Dabbs and grew up in the Salem Black River community. He was the oldest survivor of the E.W. Dabbs family and the last member of the family to have spent his entire career farming.
He attended Clemson College and joined the Navy during World War II, serving as a pilot ferrying planes back and forth between bases.
He designed and built his own family home over a period of several years along St. Charles Road, 15 miles from where he grew up. He spent years collecting lumber, furniture, fixtures, mantels and door frames from as far away as Alabama to have the home he and Lynda wanted. Mr. Dabbs was well known and loved throughout Sumter and Lee counties.
Mr. Dabbs was a member of Salem Black River Presbyterian Church where he served faithfully as a ruling elder. He also attended Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Dabbs was known for many things, but few could ever eclipse his ability to weave a good story and entertain people endlessly with his humorous recollections of his life and the lives of those around him. In a family where the joy in the story has always been highly valued, Billy Dabbs was king and held the spotlight at any gathering.
A constant reader with an unusual curiosity about every facet of life, he never stopped learning. Evenings spent over dinners that lasted for hours debating world affairs, politics, religion, literature, science or philosophy were common. Never without some project, his farm overflowed with fruit trees and vegetables, plus a never-ending array of alternative farming techniques: some successful, others amusing, but always memorable.
Even in his final days, he and his long time neighbor and friend, John Plowden, had plans for a fish farm, an outdoor kitchen for processing and a new addition to his house to give him more time to write.
He leaves an empty hole in the hearts of many but memories that are richly cherished. For those who knew him, there will never be any doubt as to what kind of man he was. His image, his smile and the sound of his voice are as much a part of us today as when we were fortunate enough to have him at our side.
In 1943, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lynda Louise Corbett, (1923-2007) of Mayesville. Together they raised four children, Cheryl Dabbs Chapman, William A. Dabbs Jr., Sade Dabbs Fryer and Hamilton Dabbs Stoddard; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Dabbs Bevan of Salem Black River; two brothers, Thomas McBride Dabbs and Joseph Samuel Dabbs of Fernandina Beach, Fla., plus kith and kin too numerous to mention.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Salem Black River Church (Brick Church) with Dr. Mark Durrett and the Rev. James E. Clark officiating.
Interment will be at the Mayesville Cemetery.
The family will receive visitors following the service at his home at Windsong on the Mayesville, St. Charles Road.
The family wishes to thank Mrs. Debbie Kirven and Mr. John Plowden for their friendship and loving care provided.
The family wishes any donations to be made to Salem Black River Presbyterian Church, care of of Mrs. John S. Wilson, 81 Nash St., Sumter, SC 29150; the Mayesville Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 144, Mayesville, SC 29104; the Mayesville ARP Church, P.O. Box 237, Mayesville, SC 29104; United Ministries of Sumter, P.O. Box 1017, Sumter, SC 29151; or to a charity of one's choice.
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