Lewis Stackpole Dabney

Lewis “Lew” Stackpole Dabney, 92, of Chestnut Hill, MA, decorated WWII pilot, died August 29 at his summer home in South Dartmouth, MA. The oldest child of Mary Fay Dabney (d. 1978) and George Bigelow Dabney (d. 1939) of Boston and Medfield, MA, Mr. Dabney is survived by his wife, Edith “Teedy” LaCroix Dabney; two daughters, Bettina Abe and Leila Marconi; son-in-law, George Abe; sister, Fay Dabney; five step-children and their respective spouses: Edith (Knowles) and Tom Williams; Joe and Polly (Wroe) Knowles; Sheilah Mahan-Knowles; James Knowles; Laurie (Knowles) and Johan Hedlund; Robert and Jennifer (Wieland) Knowles; two grandchildren, Thomas and Magdalen Abe; twelve step-grand children: John, Daryl and Jung Lee; Patrick, Amanda, Timothy, Jess, Cameron, Alison, Erik, Chloe, Alexandra, and Kagan; niece and nephew, Molly and Fred Runner; and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by a sister, Carol Runner (d. 2011); stepson, Charles Knowles (d. 2006); son-in-law Richard Marconi (d. 2010); and former spouse Joan Chaplin Waters (d. 2014).

Lew was born at 298 Beacon Street, Boston, attended Charles River School, graduated from Brooks School, and went on to Harvard University. He suspended his education to join the fight in WWII, later graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 1947. Mr. Dabney served three years in the European Theatre, flying 70 fighter-bomber missions in a P-47 “Thunderbolt” in the 9th Air Force, 82nd Airborne Division. He was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross, 10 Air Medals, the Bronze Star, two unit citations and the Belgian “Fourragerre” to his group for the liberation of Belgium. He was a member of the Fly Club at both Harvard and Trinity Colleges.

Mr. Dabney’s career included working for the FBI, various Boston advertising and publishing agencies, most recently Yankee Publishing, Inc. and the New England Business magazine. Lew had many interests and was most passionate about sailing and Dixieland Jazz, playing the drums in his local band, “The State Street Ramblers,” for 50 years. He was a member of the Tavern Club in Boston, the New Bedford Yacht Club, and The Country Club in Brookline. Lew also served on the board of directors of Mass Audubon, the Boston Museum of Science and Stop Handgun Violence. For over 20 years, he was fervently outspoken against handgun violence. His frequent and vehement letters to The Boston Globe and other journals beckoned readers to pay attention to what he called “America’s love affair with guns” and the resulting community violence. Assisting Katherine Mainzer of Jamaica Plain in the 1980s, Lew volunteered for the nonprofit “Citizens for Safety.” In 1991, they launched the first “gun buyback” in Boston’s history.

Lew was adored by his large, extended family; had a creative, eloquent wit and loved to recite poems and passages of great literature by heart. He had an engaging personality, a fun and joyful sense of humor, and an abiding integrity that endeared him to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and communities.

A service in Lewis Dabney’s memory will be held at the First Church of Chestnut Hill, 26 Suffolk Road, Chestnut hill, MA on Saturday, September 27 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Stop Handgun Violence, 1 Bridge Street, Newton, MA 02458; or Mass Audubon, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.