Keith Sabel

Keith Sabel, loving husband, father, and grandfather, died Monday, Feb. 10. Left to cherish his memories is his wife, Janey Whitten Sabel. Janey and Keith dated one summer in the late 1970's and reacquainted after 27 years to find they still enjoyed one another's company. That friendship grew into love during the next couple of years and they married on the shores of Maui, Hawaii in 2005. Together, they enjoyed foreign and domestic travel, building and remodeling their homes, cooking classes with celebrity chefs, University of Alabama and SEC football, Lake Martin, and the Gulf Coast.

Born in 1949, Keith was the middle child of Jimmie Lee and Janis Sabel, and was always an excellent mediator of the family. He is survived by his siblings Katherine Gayden of Montgomery, John Sabel (Vivian) of Denver, Colorado, and their children and grandchildren.

His only child, Sean B. Sabel (Kimberly) and two granddaughters, Sadie Mae and Kenzie, reside in Montgomery.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Rita Sabel and their children Ellen, Jimmy, Wayne and Bobby were often present for holidays and vacations.

Keith grew up in the family's steel business at Sabel Steel. As a youngster, he played on mountains of scrap metal, always delighting in the treasures he discovered. His sister Katherine remembers Keith saying, "One day, I'll own Sabel Steel.”

As a teenager, he began working on the scrap yard and rotated through jobs as he learned the business side of Sabel Industries. Many years later, after the death of Uncle Mark, and retirement of his father, Jimmie, Sabel Steel was sold to a New York financial group, but eventually, Keith was able to buy back the family business that bore their name.

Since that time, the business has grown to include 9 steel service centers in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas and employing 300. Always one to share the company's profits and bonuses with employees, Keith often said, "We try to hire people for life,” and that is evidenced by the number of long-term employees. He was a great leader of men and women. He knew them, encouraged, led, and counselled them throughout their careers.

In 2024, Keith retired as president of the company and became Chairman of the Board. His son Sean was named president and became the sixth generation to own the business. Fred Callahan, COO, and Phillip Brown, CFO, along with others, were especially valuable management team members who advised Keith and greatly helped with the growth and management of Sabel Steel.

Keith found it very important to give back to the community. He honored many non-profits with planned giving throughout the years including the Montgomery Zoo, Tocqueville Society, MMFA, Family Sunshine Center, Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, Father Walters, Brantwood Children’s Home, Hog Days of Summer, the Huntingdon Golf Team, and National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) among many others.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Phillip Brown, Fred Callahan, Bill Heilpern, John Williams, Ed Robinson, Peewee Kohn and the entire Sabel Steel family. Also attending are his brothers-in-law, Chris Whitten and Erik Davis, nephews Tad Wildman, Charlie Wildman, Roman Rauccio, John Sullivan, and Mike Stover.

Contributions in Keith's honor may be made to some of his favorite non-profit organizations as listed above.