Shirley Carroll Rabe

Funeral services for Shirley Carroll "Sam" Rabe will be held 1 P.M., Sunday, December 5, 2021 at the Church of Christ, Buffalo, Texas. Gene Darby, pastor of the church, will officiate the service. Interment will full military funeral honors provided by the U.S. Air Force will follow in Buffalo Cemetery, Buffalo, Texas. A public visitation will be held Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. at Walters' Buffalo Funeral Home, Buffalo, Texas.

Pallbearers: Travis Rabe, Kenneth Owen, Brandon Owen, Joe Dale Harshaw, Jason Owen, Robert Moore, Michael Moore, Kyle Pendergrass, Officer Rodney Simington

Honorary Pallbearers: Josh Phillips, Jaden Owen, John Pendergrass, Rick Rodriguez, Jonathan Keil, Jerry Barnes, Ron Roycroft, Curtis Adams, Alan Waters

Shirley Carroll Rabe (Daddy, Granddaddy, Sam, Buddy, the man of many names) enjoyed his last breakfast on earth with his best friend on November 29, 2021 at seventy-nine years old.

God broke the mold after Buddy was born to the late Travis and Elsie Rabe, on May 25th, 1942 in Oakwood, TX. He was the eldest of four siblings and attended Buffalo high school, graduating in 1960 before joining the Air Force. He was a proud veteran who loved his country. After 20 years of service and many adventures, he retired from the Air Force and went to work for Lockheed where he also retired. The man of many names also was the man of many jobs. He was a truck driver who delivered loads all over the country from wood chips to million dollar RVs. He enjoyed guiding hunts out west and seeing others bag record trophies. A professional piddler, assisting family and friends with the fixing and tearing up of many things. He retired from more jobs than many of us will ever have in our life and to hear him tell it, he loved them all.

Dad was a proud veteran, a lover of hunting and an unbiased collector of both new and broken things. We will tell and retell his stories of the exploding fun he had serving his country, testing bombs and weapons, that he probably shouldn’t have told us about.

We will remember the tales of his hunting and fishing and listen as the fish and wild game grow bigger and bigger as his grandchildren do.

We will spend as many years reminiscing over a full life lived as we will finding a place for the things he has collected over his full life.

Sam loved traveling, sharing quotes and learning things. A quote from saint Augustine that defined him is, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” If he had a dollar for every mile he had driven, he would have had another million dollars to give away to somebody else.

He was a man who said, “You can learn anything you want to know by reading books.” He didn’t like technology. He always said “I’m an old timer, not a dot com’er. That was, until he finally broke down and got a new iPhone and realized Siri is actually how you can learn anything from anywhere. without going to a library to find a book and he could boss her around and found, she would answer any question he asked precisely and in a timely manner. He loved telling the stories of his life and the many excursions he’s had around the world with his family and would love for us to continue those stories as we remember his life and legacy this weekend.

We can all agree together today, Shirley Carroll Rabe was one of the greatest men we’ve known. An honorable man. A brave man. A kind man. A man who practiced what he preached. A stubborn man. A man who honored his father and mother and received the promise of that command with a long life on the earth, though not long enough for those who knew him and especially his family. A man who loved his family, adored his children and cherished his grandchildren. A man who loved unconditionally and would give everything away to help those he loved. A man who was an example of Gods love to us. He is a man worth remembering.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Travis and Elsie Rabe and brother, Harvey Rabe. He is survived by his children, Sheryl Keil (Jonathan), Tanna Rodriguez (Rick) of Lubbock, Michael Moore (April), Robert Moore (April), Shawna Clark (Chad), Travis Rabe (Amanda), and Rebecca Phillips (Josh) of Iuka, MS; numerous grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is also survived by his siblings, Linda Owen of Buffalo and Marilyn and Ron Roycroft of Tyler; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Arrangements are under the direction of Walters' Buffalo Funeral Home, Buffalo, Texas.