Eugene Emil Gabbert

November 19, 2021

Eugene Emil Gabbert
By wife, Brenda Joyce Gabbert

Gene lost his fight to stay here with us on earth, but he won the entrance through the Holy Gates of Heaven. He passed on to his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. We are members of Immanuel Lutheran Church, downtown Pensacola, but the visitation will be held at Cora Baptist Church at 1:00 PM and the service will begin at 2:00 PM; and burial will follow in the church community cemetery. Cora Baptist Church is located at 12953 Chumuckla Highway (197) Jay, FL.

I was fortunate to have spent 61 years of marriage to the most wonderful man and the most loving father to our daughters, Amanda (Mandy) Lynn (Tony) Simmons and Melissa Caroline Gabbert (deceased).

Gene was born on September 11, 1937 to Emil and Rosa Gabbert (deceased). His family lived on a 160-acre farm, in Howard Lake Minnesota with his parents and his three sisters, Joyce (Helmuth) Schmidt (deceased), Donna (Rodney) Anderson and Doreen (Sam) Merrill. Gene loved living on his family farm, as he did on ours her on Pine Level church Road, Jay, FL.

Gene joined the U.S. Air Force when he was nineteen and served 4 years of active duty and 2 years in Reserve. We were married on August 21, 1960, after I graduated from Bay High School, Panama City, FL; while Gene was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base. After he received his Honorable Discharge, he worked for General Dynamics for a while. He then worked for a private telephone company in Hutchinson, MN; until he got the job he wanted with Western Electric, making supervisor. After that, he went to work with Southern Bell and made supervisor there also. He then decided to become a John Deere Dealer, in Jay, FL. We opened our dealership in September of 1975; moving to Jay, FL; from Cantonment, FL; in January, 1977. We were dealers for 11 years. Gene worked for dealerships as a salesman for a while, and he was still farming. He then decided to retire from outside jobs to work from his home shop, repairing farm tractors and equipment. He loved restoring old 2- cylinder tractors, wagons, and other farm equipment.

Gene was proud when we received the U.S. congressional Award for sponsoring and hosting the Peanut Festival on our Farm, the first Saturday in October, every year. We thank Jeff Miller, who was our congressman in 2014. I also won the “Spirit of Santa Rosa County” that year, given to me, from the SRC Chamber of Commerce for our involvement in the community.

There was not much that Gene could not build, repair, or maintain. He built everything on our farm with his own two hands. He was a good man with a loving heart and soul.

Active pallbearers will be Shawn Jarrell, Stephen Jones, Jerod Jones, Jerry Jones, Tanner Laney, and Levi Findley.

Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Salem Saloom, Dr. Eduardo Puente, Tom Banjanin, Bob Barkley, and Arlan Shelly.

Rev. Matthew Dobson, Rev. Jim Lassiter and others will speak. There will be music and songs.

Petty- Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC. Atmore, AL. is in charge of all arrangements

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mr. Eugene Emil Gabbert please visit our Sympathy Store.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Obituaries