TABBY CRABB, AKA TABMAN HAS LEFT US

[Pete Biro]

JUST GOT WORD THAT TABBY DIED TODAY AROUND 1:30 PM
R.I.P. MAY DEAR FRIEND

[Andrew Pinard]

Tabby's love and passion have changed the world. I am better for having known him. My love and thoughts to Gloria and the rest of his family...

[Dustin Stinett]

Very sad news. My thoughts go out to his family and many friends.

[KirkG]

This is terrible! I had hope he would overcome. The only good that can come of this is that his suffering is over. He will be missed.

[Jim Sisti]

Tabby was a master craftman, a passionate person in every one of his endeavors both musical and magical, and most of all, he was a good and loyal friend.

I am deeply saddened.

[Magic Newswire]

I just exchanged emails with him and spoke to him on the phone very recently as well. This is terrible.

[mai-ling]

i will miss tabby.
my condolences to his family.

[Rick Ruhl]

He was my friend for a long long time. Late 80's. We met on the MAGIC! BBS and the friendship never ended.

I was one of the few that got to work with him in his workshop. I owe ALL my woodworking skills to him.

He wasnt suffering in the end, he went peacefully according to Gloria. Gloria was the light in his eyes until the end.

One story I can share now with everyone, was a discussion he and I had about him moving to Nashville back to GA where he could take care of his mother! Yes, he wanted to take care of his mom until she passed on, He asked me what I would do and I said 'family always comes first'.

So he sold the studio in Nashville and they finally sold the house and he made the move to Americus.

He was a man who went from living under a building to being part of the Urban Cowboy band, to being on stage with the Amazing Jonathon and helping those who loved magic. This story is in his book, but one night he got pissed at Jon and put a brick in the fake speaker that fell from the cealing. It hit Jon straight on, and Tabby got the brick out without Jon knowing, of course Kozak and the bunch knew and it was an inside joke with us for many years.

The last time I got to see him, he and I shared a mason jar of moonshine, talked about magic, music and 'the river of life'.

Robert Tabby Crabb has now left us for that great stage in the sky. God must have needed a master craftsman and a good man to take him from us.

I will tell one more story that Tabby told me, and this will show you the kind of man he was.

At Flatwood, he was recording a young woman doing a very adult style song (this was at the time that Leigh Ann Rhymes was the teen hit of Nashville). Tabby read the lyrics over and over and was disgusted by the parents and producer let a young girl sing these lyrics. After he has a talk with the manager and parents, they still wanted to record the song.

He said in a very calm voice, "Not in my studio, you wont!"

He kicked them out and felt it was the right thing to do.

That was the Tabby I knew :)

I miss you, my friend, RIP and build god a good table.

Rick

[Donal Chayce]

Even though Tabman's passing was not entirely unexpected, it is nevertheless very sad news.

Thanks for letting us know, Pete.

[Richard Kaufman]

Tabby was a great guy. Too bad.

[Rick Ruhl]

Richard, I have a bunch of pictures if you want to do a retrospect in Geniii

[Smurf]

I am very saddened by this news. I only knew him from some brief email exchanges and his book. Even so, it was obvious he was such a giving person.

[Jim Riser]

Tabby was an expert craftsman. Unfortunately we never met but we exchanged a number of emails - usually about construction techniques. He will be missed by many. Until we meet in the great workshop in the sky, Tabby.
Jim

[Tom Gilbert]

We had emailed back and forth as we were both in the Amherst MA area many years ago. I wish I had met him at some point. Seemed like a really intersting and nice person.
Tom

[Jamy Ian Swiss]

Tabby Crabb was the best magic pal I ever had whom I'd never met.

We met online in the early 90s. We hit it off and remained friends ever since. Tabby was the first person thanked in my acknowledgments in my book, "Shattering Illusions," where I explained that he was responsible for my writing for Genii. Tabby introduced me to Dante Larsen when Dante was temporarily running the magazine in the aftermath of his father's death, and Tabby proposed to us both that I write for the magazine. Thus was born the original "Shattering Illusions" essay series which ran for a year, 1993/94.

I eventually came to understand that this was typical of him. Tabby was a generous and humble guy who was always quietly trying to do something good for somebody behind the scenes, often by putting people together, and never seeking credit for it. Our last email exchanges in recent weeks were still more of the same, with Tabby trying to reach out and connect some folks to do some good, and me doing a little something similar for him as well. In the last email I have from him he claims himself not worthy of the kindness. So typical of this generous and kind man.

I always wanted to meet him. I'm terribly saddened that I never will. But I'm awfully glad I knew him and called him my friend.

Jamy

[Geno Munari]

Very very sorry to hear this. Jamy summed up what Tabman liked to do: help someone for no underlying reason.
See you again pard'.

Geno

[Bob Sanders]

Tabby was always welcome in my house. We were musicians, magicians and friends with many common interests, experiences and concerns. He was one this old cowboy could count on to "come aridin'" when it counted. His frequent response to me was "But Bob, you and I have been there." And we have. What a ride!

We had plans for his surprise birthday party here at the ranch October 7th long before the cancer diagnosis. Now a Broken Wand Ceremony may be the new plan.

We will miss our old friend Tabby and be forever grateful to Gloria for her valuable part in Tabby's life.

Bob and Lucy Sanders
Magic Valley Ranch

[Wolfgang]

I only spoke to Tabby twice on the phone during the time when he sold his Tabman Tables business....he did not know me but was very courteous with his time and gave me invaluable advice..I always felt that when I get to his neck of the woods I wanted to sit down with him much longer.....well here is another great opportunity missed....my sympathy to his family and close friends....
Wolfgang Wollet

[Eric DeCamps]

This is is very sad news.

The few times that I spoke with Tabby I found him to be a gentleman and generous person.

My prayers are with his family and may he rest in peace.

Eric DeCamps

[Tony Tuccillo]

It was only through online correspondence that I knew Tabby yet Im in mourning as well.

He didnt know me from a hole in the wall (and shouldnt) yet in one thread from last year we both contributed to, I thought I had offended him and PMd him to apologize.

He was gracious in his reply and let me know there was no offense taken and also wrote a line or two complimenting my remarks in another part of the thread. In our world of electronic communications he chose the high road in his reply and gifted me with a touch of class.

Sadly its becoming rarer to encounter such men and our world is worse off in having lost him.