Hal Norwood Dabbs, Jr. passed away peacefully on April 11, 2022, at the age of 98. He was a loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, and devoted friend.
Born and raised in Quitman, Mississippi, Hal was the son of Hal Dabbs, Sr and Adeline Adams Dabbs. He attended the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order. Serving as a 2nd lieutenant in the infantry during World War II, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He completed his degree at Ole Miss after the war, where he met and married Roselyn Threadgill Dabbs. They were married 54 years until her death in 2001.
Upon graduation, Hal returned to Quitman where he managed his family business, the Quitman Coca-Cola Bottling Co., and later served on the Board of Directors of Great Southern Bank in Meridian, MS. He was an active member of First United Methodist Church of Quitman for many years, serving in numerous positions of leaership. Hal loved being part of the Quitman community and helped establish the Quitman Library, where he served many years as its president. Throughout his career, Hal was president of the Mississippi-Alabama-Louisiana Bottlers and on the Board of the Mississippi Economic Council. He was elected to the Irwin Province Court of Honor by his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order. Hal spent the last years of his life in Tuscaloosa with his daughter, Lynn.
Hal is survived by his daughters, Mary Lee Dabbs Wesberry (Jess) and Roselyn (Lynn) Dabbs Anderson (Jeff); his grandchildren Kennedy Anderson, Dabbs Anderson, Jay Wesberry, Frannie Wesberry Rueff (T.) and Elizabeth Wesberry Bowman (Hayes); and his great-grandchildren, Annette and Isabelle Rueff and Hal Dabbs Bowman.
The family will have a private burial. A memorial service celebrating Hal’s life will be held at 11:30 a.m. on May 14, 2022, at the First United Methodist Church in Quitman, Mississippi.
