Thomas E. Rabel, 87, of Alum Creek went home to his Father in Heaven Saturday, December 28, 2013 at Valley Center, South Charleston, WV.
He was a former employee at Libby Owens in the Gas Department; a WWII Army Veteran, serving in the South Pacific and a charter member of the VFW Post 4768 at Alum Creek. He was the family caretaker and loved farming, hunting, fishing and ginsenging.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Maggie Rabel; brothers, John Benard
and Keith Albert Rabel; sisters, Phyllis Pauley and Charlotte McGraw.
He is survived by his sister, Shirley (Bobby) Holstine of Alum Creek and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral service will be 2:00 pm Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at Curry Funeral Home, 2097 Childress Road, Alum Creek with Pastor Wallace York officiating. Entombment will follow in Graceland Memorial Park Mausoleum with military graveside rites conducted by the Alum Creek VFW Post 4768. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
The family would like to express a special thank you to his caregiver, Lori “Woody-Woodpecker” Grounds.
You have not been gone for very long but yet it feels like a lifetime already, I still morn the loss of you I miss our talks, our little walks, picking out the new thing of the day that you hung on your wall, reading the silly stories and jokes to you from that book, looking at pictures with you and listening to you talk about past times, telling me silly stories about you and your siblings and the crazy things that happened, dancing around being silly with you, listening to you sing your silly little songs, watching you pick flowers with the kids, throwing your hat back and forth trying to land on yours or mines head, wow I think I could go on for days of all the things we did and the great times we shared together. I know this is for condolences but I just wanted to talk to you tell you how much I miss you and just wish I could hear your voice again, see your face again, get my hug hear your laughter but I know one more time would lead to me just wanting more ;”(
I’ll never forget the day, when Martha & I were kids & we got one of his big black angus bulls mad. We were stuck on a log across a creek with that bull on one end stompin’ & snorting and a hillside, straight up to an electric fence on the other. Tom stopped and asked us what was going on & we told him…his response? He smiled & said ” you got yourself into it, now, get yourself out” & drove away. His presence was a very big part if my childhood, so sorry to hear of his passing.
My heart goes out to those who knew Uncle Tom, no words could express how much sorrow and hurt I have that he are no longer be with us. I can not begin to tell how much I will miss the laughter, the singing and the just being silly that me, you and Charlotte had together! We sure have had a lot of great times together and have also shed many tears together as well from loved ones lost. You were a dear friend whom I had the pleasure of caring for I will love and miss more than you will imagine, don’t worry I will try and always remember “it’s better to laugh than to cry” even though my heart is very heavy right now, R.I.P. ????