Leon John Mabie

Known to all as "Lee," he was born on June 12, 1937, in Albany, New York. Lee was the only child of Leon and Mary Mabie. Growing up on Lockrow Boulevard, the son of a factory worker and a school teacher, he graduated high school from Vincentian Institute in 1955. Lee went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from Manhattan College in 1959. That same year, Lee married his childhood sweetheart, Sylvia Wippich, and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Lee's commission and military career was pivotal to his life, taking him and his family on a two-decade adventure across the US and Europe, providing challenges and opportunities for growth, and laying the groundwork for the future success of his children.

Lee is survived by his wife, Sylvia Wippich Mabie, and their three children, Edward William Mabie of Boynton Beach, Florida, David Wayne Mabie of Greenville, North Carolina, and Janette Marie Proctor (married to John “Rocky” Proctor) of Oakland, Maryland. "Pop Pop" was adored by his grandchildren, Kyle Proctor, Justin Proctor, Kendra Mabie, Alexander Mabie, and Samantha Mabie, and will be deeply missed by his family and friends, his congregation, and his neighbors. As the patriarch of the Mabie family, Lee was an outstanding member of an exceptional generation of Americans.

Lee had an accomplished twenty-one-year career in the US Air Force, beginning as a navigator for the Military Airlift Command (MAC) before transferring to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and serving on flight crews in the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. After the Vietnam War, Lee moved to a staff position focused on computer systems development for SAC in Omaha, Nebraska. He ended his military service with an assignment to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and allowing in the Mabie clan to finally establishing a permanent home in Springfield, Virginia.

Lee deployed multiple times to southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, with his service recognized by the Vietnam Service Medal with Three Bronze Service Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, alongside his Air Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Lee returned from his deployment with a promotion to the rank of Major. After retiring from the military with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Lee bootstrapped a twenty-year professional consulting career in project management and software development with the likes of Honeywell and Wang Laboratories. Trading in his uniform for a blue pinstripe suit, Lee worked in the DC metro area until his retirement in 1999.

Lee was famous for his story and joke telling, and his time in the military—especially his time flying—provided much of his material. His close friends in the Air Force would reunite when they could for a hunting trip, family cookout, or golf outing, and stories would flow and jokes would be traded. Even Lee's grandkids can recite Pop Pop's most frequent stories. His USAF comrades and their families became part of the extended Mabie family and vice versa.

Lee's bachelor's degree was in Physical Education, and not surprisingly, he was an avid athlete and sportsman—passions which he passed on to his children and grandchildren. Over his life, his interests included tennis, bowling, basketball, softball, hunting, fishing, water skiing, running, and in his younger years, motorcycle riding. Bowling was a regular family activity, and everyone competed in sanctioned leagues. After mass on Sundays, Lee would pick up Dunkin' Donuts and take the family out for a few practice games. During his men's and couples' leagues, Lee would let the kids stay up late keeping score or helping the counter guy assign lanes for open bowling.

Golf was his most beloved sport; not only playing, but working at his home course at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Lee worked for years as the starter, not so much for the golf perks as for the friendships, the new acquaintances, and the new material he could 'borrow'. His love for golf and family led him and Sylvia to host family trips to Augusta, Georgia, to enjoy The Masters tournament. Golf outings with friends and family down to Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head were common, as well as years playing with his regular foursome at Twin Lakes Golf Course in Virginia. As much as he enjoyed playing with his friends, he liked nothing more than joining a group where he was meeting everyone for the first time; a fresh audience for his stories and jokes.

Lee's most expensive diversion was a multi-decade-long affair with boating, including multiple fishing and sailboats. For years, Lee kept a thirty-two-foot sailboat in Annapolis, Maryland, and during the summer, Lee and Sylvia would pack up, drive up, and sail off with dear friends and other regular boaters, as well as with whichever teenage child had yet to forgo the foresail. And of course, there were the sailing, boating, and fishing jokes, including the classic: "What are the two best days in the life of a boat owner?"

Family was always at the very center of Lee's life, and he was never happier than when hosting celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Super Bowl or just to show off his skills cooking out on the grill. Lee's love of the outdoors and the water led he and Sylvia to many family lake adventures, first at the Great Sacandaga Lake in New York and finally to a twenty-five-year commitment to Deep Creek Lake in Oakland, MD. Every year, Lee and Sylvia would gather the family for two weeks of swimming, fishing, boating, skiing, tubing, horseshoes, badminton, and great cookouts. It is a tradition that will be carried forward by his daughter Janette and her husband Rocky as they rebuild the lake house that they shared with Lee and Sylvia.

Quite simply, Lee Mabie was a shining example of his generation. He achieved everything expected of him and more: raising and providing for a family, serving God, country, and community, being a devoted husband and father, and always telling a good story when the chance arose.

Leon Mabie will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors at a date yet to be determined.