On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, William Alfred Rabe, Jr, or Al, passed away at the age of 85. After a sudden decline in health due to COVID-19, he died peacefully with his beloved wife by his side. Al was born on January 5, 1936, in Lexington, Kentucky to William Alfred Rabe and Lyda Stevens Rabe. As the oldest of two children, Al found his passion for airplanes from the time he was three years old. By the time he was sixteen, he obtained his pilots license prior to receiving his drivers license. After he graduated from high school, he briefly attended the University of Kentucky. He soon met his first wife, Linda Moss, and he decided to forgo college, join the army, and get married. Al and Linda moved to Germany where he was stationed in the U.S. Armytwo of their children, Sharon and William III, were born there. During his military service, his marksmanship earned him a place on the pistol team where he would prove his worth by winning many competitions. After serving his country, Al and his family returned to the States and they welcomed two more children, Theresa and Deborah. In the airline industry, Al worked his way up for various airlines, eventually becoming a pilot for Braniff Airlines. His desire to depart and land punctually earned him the moniker, "Mad Dog Al." Though his career satisfied his love for flying, he also pursued a hobby of building control line stunt airplanes. He spent months meticulously designing, building and painting perfect to-scale replicas that he entered in competitions. He initiated a number of design and trim innovations that became standard features of the Stunt aircraft. He flew his planes and was a three-time National Champion in Stunt, two-time recipient of the Walker Cup, and as a member of the first place U.S. team, placed second individually in the 1978 World Championships. To this day, his groundbreaking work is featured in numerous articles on the internet and in YouTube videos. When asked about his gift and these accolades, he simply responded, "a big fish in a small, small pond." While his marriage to Linda did not last as they had hoped, they remained friends until his death. In 1987, Al met and started dating Kyong "Mia" Piper. Mia had two children from a previous marriageSonja and Sean. On January 6, 1990, Al and Mia married and briefly lived in Irving, Texas. From 1990 until 1996, Al and Mia relocated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after he was offered a position as a captain for Saudi Arabian Airlines. During that time, they traveled all over Europe and the Middle East before retiring in Irving, Texas. Al retired with more than 25,000 flying hours and 7,000 hours as an instructor. During their retirement, Al designed the home where he and Mia lived for 23 years. He loved his wife so much and spoke often about her love for him, her beauty and accomplishments. They enjoyed their life together, walking five miles a day in their neighborhood or at the local mall, listening to audiobooks, watching movies, and grabbing a bite at their neighborhood Chick-Fil-A. Al is preceded in death by his parents, William and Lyda Rabe. He is survived by his wife, Kyong "Mia" Rabe, sister Emma Lou Warner, and children: Sharon Lynn Rabe Curtis and husband, Bob, William Alfred Rabe III and wife Jane, Theresa Dee Rabe Hilton and husband Michael, Deborah Ann Rabe Bunn and husband Jerry, stepchildren Sonja Piper Dosti and husband Ben, and Sean Paul Piper and wife Melissa. Grandchildren: William Curtis, Kathleen Curtis Aspatore, Sloan Florio, Stephen Hilton, Katherine Hall, Brian Hilton, Matthew Bunn, Joshua Piper, Gideon Dosti, Faith Piper, and Luke Dosti. Great grandchildren: Kaylee Curtis, Daphne Aspatore, and Esme Rabe. Al will be greatly missed by his adoring wife and family and friends who appreciated and benefited from his generosity, knowledge, and integrity. A service to celebrate his life will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 516 S. OConnor Road, Irving, Texas 75060. The service will also livestream on these links: https://www.facebook.com/StMarksIrving and YouTube.com/stmarksirving. The burial will take place at 11:30 a.m. on the same day at Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas, Texas 75211. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to St. Marks Episcopal Church, https://www.stmarksirving.org/give/ or Irving Cares, https://irvingcares.org/donate/ SERVICES Funeral Service

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 9:30 AM

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church 516 South O'Connor Road Irving, TX 75060

Committal Service

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 11:30 AM

Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery Lane 3 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway Dallas, TX 75211