Dr. William Ries Gabbert, 96, of Owensboro passed away Friday, November 1, 2019 under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky. He was born November 17, 1922 in Louisville to the late Rev. Roy and Louise Trathen Gabbert. After graduating in 1940 from Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Kentucky, William attended Mars Hill College in North Carolina, earning an associate’s degree in literary studies. In 1944, William graduated from Wake Forest College with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his Doctorate in Medicine in 1946 from Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest where he was a member of Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity. Following his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Boston, Dr. Gabbert was commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and served from 1947 to 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. After being honorably discharged, he served his residency in pediatrics at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. In 1952 Dr. Gabbert began a life-long practice in pediatrics in Danville, Kentucky. He relocated his practice to Owensboro in 1953.
Dr. Gabbert was a member of the American Medical Association, the Kentucky Medical Association, and the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was on staff at Owensboro-Daviess County Hospital and Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, and was a past president of the Daviess County Medical Society. Other affiliations included the Owensboro Rotary Club, Owensboro-Daviess County Juvenile Board, and chairman of the 1964 Sabin Polio Vaccine Mass Inoculation in Daviess County. He was a devoted member of First Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and on the Scholarship, Music, and Christian Life Center Building committees. After retiring from his medical practice in 1988, Dr. Gabbert served as a medical consultant for Alpha Therapeutic Corporation and Plasma Biological Services, Inc.
In addition to his parents, Dr. Gabbert was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Betty Shugart Gabbert in 2010; a sister, Jane Gabbert Humphreys; and brothers, John Trathen Gabbert and Neil Francis Gabbert.
Those left to cherish his memory include his daughter, Pat McFarling of Owensboro; his son, William “Chip” Gabbert, Jr. and wife Gail of Springfield, Tennessee; his daughter, Nan McSwain and husband Doug of Lexington; his grandchildren, Lauren McSwain-Starrett and husband Bryan and Kate McSwain; two great-granddaughters, Caroline Starrett and Josie Starrett; and former son-in-law, Steve McFarling.
The funeral service will be at 12:00 PM Wednesday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory where visitation will be Tuesday from 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM and Wednesday from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Entombment will be in Christ Chapel at Owensboro Memorial Gardens.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Children’s Ministry of First Baptist Church, 230 J.R. Miller Blvd., Owensboro, KY 42303.
Memories and condolences for the family of Dr. Gabbert may be shared at www.glenncares.com.