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Sam Rabb was cornerstone of Llano community

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

LLANO — Sam Warren Rabb influenced just about every facet of life in Llano County.

A seventh-generation Texan, Rabb, who died Dec. 8 at age 91, used to ride his horse to Llano school.

After he served in the Army from 1946-1947, he returned to the same house in which he was born to go into business with longtime friends James Epperson and Philip Smith.

And Rabb remained active in the Llano community, from serving as a Llano Independent School District board member to sitting in the same seat at Llano Stadium for more than 40 years to watch Yellow Jackets football.

“He was a supporter of our programs,” former Llano ISD Superintendent Dennis Hill said. “That was one of the many things that impressed me. Obviously, when he had grandchildren playing for the Jackets, he was there. And even when he didn’t, he was still there. What it says to me is this is somebody who believes in the future of America. One time, I heard that young people make up 20 percent of our society and 100 percent of the future. I think he realized it and acted on it.”

Epperson and Rabb attended Llano school together then started, along with Smith, the Llano Hog Co. buying station for different packaging companies. The trio were in business together for 27 years. By the end of their partnership, they bought 8 million hogs.

“It was something to do,” Epperson said. “At one time, Llano was No. 1 in the state for producing hogs. People asked why (the company) was Rabb and Epperson. I said because he was 18 days older than I was.”

Rabb bought pigs for many of the Llano children to raise and enter in livestock shows, Epperson said. They were known as quality hog breeders all the way to Minnesota.

They also ran cattle together and bought lambs in the fall and sold them in the spring, he said.

“We had a great relationship,” Epperson said. “We never had any problems amongst ourselves. Our families were all close to start with. It was a very enjoyable life.”

One of Rabb’s most enjoyable pastimes was playing golf, Epperson said, while Epperson was a roper. So each man tried to teach the other golf and roping. He recalls meeting with Rabb’s golf group, the forerunner of the Llano Golf Association of which Rabb was a member, each Monday to play.

“I learned a lot about the game,” he said with grin. “They accused me of being the most influential golfer not to pick up a club.”

In addition to being on the school board member, Rabb also was a member of the Hill Country Livestock Raiders Association and the Llano Golf Association.

Hill said Rabb stayed involved in Llano ISD and the county. It’s why he was honored as the 2007 Llano Cowboy of the Year and the 2010 recipient of the Llano Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame Award for his agricultural and civic achievements.

He and his wife, Mary, received the prestigious Jackets for Life awards from Llano ISD, which goes to someone who exemplifies and embodies what the school district teaches.

“There are people who question the value of education,” Hill said. “Here’s a guy who realized that value and actively supported it.”

Rabb is survived by Mary Rabb, his wife of 70 years; sons, Sam Warren Jr and wife Carol, Hilton Stanley and wife Ginny and Russell Carl and wife Janie; daughter-in-law Debbie Rabb; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

A funeral service is 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Home, 307 E. Sandstone St. in Llano. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hill Country Livestock Raisers Association, P.O. Box 292, Llano, TX 78643; the Llano Junior Livestock Show, P.O. Box 118, Llano, TX 78643; or the Llano High School Hall of Fame, 1400 Oatman St., Llano, TX 78643.

“The community has lost a great person who was a good man,” Hill said. “He raised a good family … in a way that many never do.”

“He always found fun in everything he did,” Epperson said. “He was a character. He always looked on the bright side of life.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com