George Chabbott
George Chabbott grew up in Jay, New York, the only son of Clarence and Laura (LaMountain) Chabbott, hunting and fishing in the midst of the Adirondack Forest Preserve and skiing Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid. He was in the first class of Paul Smith's College then transferred to Utah State College in Provo on a baseball scholarship. He graduated with a degree in forestry and reveled in working as a trail boss in Washington state for the National Park Service until, with the Korean War ongoing and the draft looming, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force (USAF). He was selected for Officers Candidate School, beginning a 22-year career in the military as a navigator, trainer, base administrator, and financial controller. He served in Korea (Distinguished Flying Cross), the British Air War College, Texas, California, Thailand, and retired as a full colonel from Dover AFB in 1973. In Dover, he earned a national Certificate in Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM) and proceeded to build a very successful commercial real estate practices in central Delaware. A lifelong supporter of the military and the USO, George was named Man of the Year by the Air Force Association in 1985 for his work helping that organization finance the building of its own headquarters in Arlington VA. For his decades of active membership in Rotary and its international exchange programs, Rotary International named him a Paul Harris Fellow. He enjoyed being in the thick of deal making and working with his partner, Joe Petrosky, and only in his 80s began slowing down at work.
George always insisted whatever he accomplished in life was largely due to the support and guidance of his wife of 62 years Marilyn Deckert Chabbott. Together they travelled the world, raised three children, and in their later years became enthusiastic donors to the Dover USO, the Dover YMCA, Wesley College, and the Kent County ROTC program. As a Legacy Donor to the Delaware Technical College-Terry Campus, their donations helped dozens of Kent County students pursue their dreams and supported the creation of the George and Marilyn Chabbott Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Innovation and Advancement.
A lifelong love of the outdoors led to early support for Ducks Unlimited, a string of well-trained hunting dogs, boats of all sizes and varieties-a canoe when times were tough, a 24-foot inboard when times were better-a basement filled with sporting equipment, and as many golfing and skiing trips as finances and work would allow. Those trips continued well into his 90s, even after he lost a leg to peripheral artery disease. After Marilyn died in 2015, George was accompanied on many of his adventures by his daughter Michelle and later, his high school sweetheart, Cora "Babe" Trumbull.
George is survived by three children, Michelle, Colette, John, and John's wife Holly; four grandchildren, scattered from Maine to California; and his friend, Cora Trumbull of Jay, New York.
Letters of condolences may be sent and guest book signed at www.torbertfuneral.com.
Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of George's life on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at a time to be announced at St. Andrew's Church, 425 North DuPont Highway, Dover, Delaware. His ashes will be laid to rest next to Marilyn's in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing, P.O. Box 1148, Dover, Delaware 19903.