Cleo Gazolee (“Gay”) Dabney

On the evening of December 3, 2023, Cleo Gazolee (“Gay”) Dabney died peacefully in her sleep after a short illness. She is survived by her eldest son, Lyle, of Mequon, Wisconsin, his wife, Janet, and their three children, Laura, Megan, and Hilary; her middle son, Mike, of Grapevine, Texas, his wife, Teresa, and his daughters, Brittney and Brookes; and her youngest son, James, of Port Neches, Texas, his wife, Julie, and his sons, James and Jared. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Poppy, Lukas, and Juniper.

Gay was born in East Alton, Illinois, on June 28, 1924. She was the eldest of Dwight and Mildred Lile‘s three children. She graduated from East Alton High School and went on to attend Great Lakes Bible School in Zion, Illinois. There she met the man she was to marry in 1948, Reverend Delmar Morrison Dabney, a former Marine from Matoon, Illinois. After pastoring churches in Missouri and in California, the family moved to Beaumont, Texas, in 1970, where they pastored Cathedral in the Pines for 25 years. Gay’s service in the ministry of the church ranged from leading the ladies’ ministry, founding a long-running women’s Bible study, and singing in the choir.

She loved her family, she loved Jesus, she loved her work in the church, and she loved building and decorating homes. As all who knew her, Gay also had a great flair for fashion and was always ready for a good laugh.

After retiring from the ministry following the death of her husband, Gay moved to California and then to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to be near family. In her later years, she moved to Calder Woods in Beaumont, the place that she felt most at home.

A funeral service for Mrs. Dabney will be 1:00 p.m., Sunday, December 10, 2023, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Her entombment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park, Groves.

Her service can be live-streamed at the following link: Click Here