Edward Rees Dabbs, of Sumter, SC, passed away on Friday, Aug. 16, 2013, at the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, from complications due to stomach cancer. Rees was born June 11, 1951, in Clarksville, Tenn., to Nell and Eugene Dabbs of Sumter. He grew up at Dabbs Crossroads in Sumter County and attended Mayewood High School, where he excelled in football and baseball. Rees was also an All-State baritone player in the Mayewood band as well as the famed All District band that repeatedly won statewide honors. Rees matriculated at The Citadel, where he earned a bachelor of business degree in 1973. He was then granted a commission to serve as a second lieutenant and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. During his service, he reached the rank of captain. He was among the elite in his flight-training class and ultimately selected to serve as a flight instructor. After leaving the Air Force, Rees earned a master of business administration and worked at Tiger Charter in Midland, Texas. There, along with being a corporate pilot, he also served as the director of marketing and, ultimately, president of the company. In the mid-1980s he returned to South Carolina to fly corporate jets for Builders Transport in Camden, and to pursue other business interests. Later in life, he also volunteered at a local prison and in other capacities, touching, inspiring, and challenging the hearts and minds of all he met. At heart, Rees was an aviator, and he carried through his life a love of flying. He approached his life with the rare attributes that are demanded of fighter pilots’ courage, of course, but also a curious and contradictory blend of recklessness and finesse. For all who knew him, even the most casual meeting with Rees was a memorable event. He challenged us even in our most mundane moments, because, always the fighter pilot, nothing about life was mundane for Rees. Rees’ departure would leave a hole in our lives but for the fact that he was, for those who knew him, among the most unforgettable people we would ever meet. He flew with recklessness and finesse through our lives and our memories, and he will continue to fly with us, forever. Rees is survived by his brothers, Eugene Whitefield Dabbs III of Williamson, Ga., Thomas Winn Dabbs of Tokyo, Japan, and David William Dabbs of Charlotte, N.C.; and is also survived by several nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins. Rees will be memorialized on Thanksgiving Day, 2013, to coincide with the annual Dabbs Family Thanksgiving reunion, an event always close to Rees’ heart. Details regarding the service will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to Rees’ memory should be sent to the Salem Black River Church and Cemetery fund, care of Martha Greenway, 210 Serenity Drive, Mayesville, SC, 29104, and online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com. Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.
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