Joseph Earl Dabney

1929 - 2016

DABNEY, Joseph Earl Joe Dabney, 86, newspaperman, Lockheed Martin PR rep and prize-winning author, died Dec. 26, 2015. Survivors include wife, Susanne; daughter, Geneva Llewellyn of Athens, AL, four sons; Earl Jr., Mark, Jon Scott and Chris and three grandchildren; April Llewellyn, Cheryl Llewellyn and Jon Dabney. Born 1-29-29 in Kershaw, S. C., Dabney graduated from Berry College, was a newspaper journalist in Cartersville and Columbus, GA, followed by Korean War Army duty. Next, he was reporter and editor for the Florence, SC, Morning News, and the Gainesville, GA, Daily Times, and state news editor of The Atlanta Journal. He then served in public relations with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company for 24 years. Dabney, an acclaimed author and speaker, published six non-fiction books including "Mountain Spirits" (1974), an Appalachian Americana cookbook "Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread & Scuppernong Wine" (1998) which won the James Beard Cookbook of the Year Award and "The Food, Folklore, and Art of Lowcountry Cooking," (2010) which received outstanding reviews. "Cherokee Valley So Wild", a work of fiction, will be published Spring 2016 by Bilbo Books. A devout Christian, Dabney was a member of Dunwoody Baptist Church where he enjoyed the Young at Heart seniors group and sang in the choir. While President of the Dunwoody Friends of the Library he created the Brooke Baker Award for Lifetime Achievement. A memorial service will be held at Dunwoody Baptist Church Chapel on Sat. January 30, 2016, at 11am with reception to follow. A private burial will take place at GA National Cemetery in Canton, GA.