William Jackson "Jack" Rabun

William J. "Jack" Rabun, 91, of Cocoa, Florida, passed away on December 4, 2025 at Viera Hospital. In his final days, he was surrounded by family and friends and well cared for by the nurses and doctors of HealthFirst Hospice and the PCU at Viera Hospital, for which his family is deeply grateful.

Jack was born at home in Augusta, Georgia on May 30, 1934 to Alma Willie Clark and Charles Joseph Rabun. Charlie worked for Florida East Coast Railroad and in 1943 he moved the family to Miami, where Jack attended Buena Vista Elementary, Robert E. Lee Jr. High and graduated in 1952 from Miami Edison High School. His father, Charlie, was killed in an accident when he was 14, making his childhood that much more difficult. He was a paperboy and took on other odd jobs to help support his family during what were very lean times. Jack could tell you so many stories about running around old downtown Miami as a kid. After high school, and a few jobs, Jack met and married Marian and got a job with the City of Miami. He spent two years in the Army in Washington D.C., where he "fought the Koreans from D.C.", sometimes hitchhiking to Miami so he could see Marian and his new-born daughter, Teresa. He returned to Miami afterwards and worked for the City of Miami Public Works department for 33 years, beginning as a rodman, becoming a Registered Land Surveyor and the head of the City's Survey Department, retiring in 1986.

Jack married Marian Robbert in 1954, had four daughters, Terry, Pam, Mary and Carolyn and celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary last June. They lived in Miami until 1995 when they moved to Brevard County and settled in Cocoa. He was very involved with all his grandchildren and great grandchildren and attended many of their sporting, musical and academic events and parties over the years. Many wonderful Christmases and other holidays were spent at the house in Cocoa, usually out under the big oak trees on the driveway. At some point during a holiday, the bb guns and targets came out, and rides on the golf cart around the neighborhood were always a part of the day.

Jack was always active in sports; playing softball, basketball and football but it was his bat that got him the job at Public Works when they were looking for a good hitter for their softball team. Through a teammate he met his future wife, Marian. Jack continued to play softball all through his life, even into his 80's. He played fast-pitch softball for years at Grapeland Park in Miami and all four daughters and Marian quickly learned how to keep a scorebook. He helped coach girl's fast-pitch softball at St. Brendan's High School in Miami with Mary during their championship season. Jack was loved and respected by the girls, and many of them were still in touch. On Valentine's Day, they would receive cards from a "Secret Admirer". His daughters received them for years too, he thought he was tricky, but his surveyors handwriting always gave him away.

He was active in the Florida Historical Society as a volunteer for many years and was a prolific collector of vintage Florida postcards, especially Old Miami cards, with his collection easily reaching into the thousands. He had a love of plants and trees and his yard in Cocoa was full of huge staghorn ferns and a coontie farm. Lifelong Miami Hurricane fans, Jack and Marian could be found sitting in the upper deck end zone with friends in the team's early years when the "Band of the Hour" was the best part of the game. They traveled extensively in their later years, driving from Miami to Alaska in their truck towing a camper, taking trips to Europe, Russia, and eventually, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of going to Egypt, taking a Nile River Cruise.

Jack was a very intelligent, mostly self-educated man, a huge fan of history of all kinds, and could talk to you about just about any topic. He loved his family deeply and would do anything for Marian, his girls, and his grandchildren. He loved to see pictures and videos of his great grandchildren. He kept in touch with his many nieces and nephews in Georgia and they all loved their Uncle Jack. Jack was still close to his City of Miami friends and softball buddies, talking to them on the phone whenever possible.

He had a great sense of humor, was a lover of practical jokes and hysterical postcards were sent to friends and family from all over the world, usually "signed" by a relevant historical figure. He never met a stranger, would talk to anyone, especially waitresses, and abandoned umbrellas and sunglasses would somehow find their way to him. He called himself an "itemizer", his word for a person who will pick up anything off the road or a trash pile, because it might be an "item". Poppa was one of a kind and his many stories will be deeply missed by friends and family.

Jack was a loving husband, father, Poppa, brother and friend. He is survived by his wife, Marian, daughters Teresa Hall (Jeff), Pam Whittington (Mike), Mary Rabun, and Carolyn Sutton (Scot), as well as his brother John Rabun (Regena), eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews, who all loved him.
He was pre-deceased by his siblings, Mary Cartledge, Clark Ferguson, Buddy Peacock, Billy Peacock, and grandchild Jason Hall.

A Memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 3pm to 6pm at the Clubhouse at The Springs of Suntree, 8300 Holiday Springs Road, Melbourne, FL 32940
Jack will be interred at the family graveyard next to Clark's Chapel outside of Augusta, Georgia.

Donations in Jack's memory can be made to:
Charles Clark III, Historical and Memorial Society, Inc.
c/o Teresa Hall, Treasurer
113 Cliftons Landing Drive
Anderson, SC 29625