Obituary of Rudolph Fitzbert Gabbidon

Rudolph Fitzbert Gabbidon, affectionately known as “Ken” and also as “Rudy”, was born in Kingston, Jamaica on July 22, 1931.  He was the son of Vera Peck and Charles Gabbidon and had a brother Seymour (Skipper), who predeceased him.  As a child, he was a serious individual; as his cousin Dudley would remark, “Whatever he did, he always did it to the best of his ability.”  He attended Halfway Tree School through the 6^th form.

After the loss of his mother who transitioned at an early age, he was devotedly cared for by his father and later by his beloved aunts, Lynn and Amy, who raised him as their own.   In 1966, he moved to the United States with his first wife, Olive and their children.   He lived for a brief time in the Bronx and then moved to Brooklyn to live with his Aunt Lynn and Uncle Bertie. 

In 1980, he married his second wife, Deloris (Del), and settled in Long Beach, Long Island.  After working for a number of years at the School of Visual Arts, Ken continued to work in the field that he loved from watching his uncles in their craft of carpentry and he took on private clients, including the late actor, Zero Mostel and the late comedian, Sandy Duncan.  In 1986, after several visits to see a dear friend in St. Petersburg, Florida, Ken and Del, both desiring to escape the cold New York winters, built their dream home on Alhambra Way South and moved to Florida.  Ken loved his home, especially his work shop in the backyard filled to the brim with his precious tools.  He knew every tool that he owned and would make sure that they were meticulously cared for.  He would spend hours tinkering in his shop and assisting family and friends with home projects.  Over time, Del and Ken became a project team, with Del as the designer and creator and Ken as the builder.  In addition to enjoying his tools, he adored his truck and was in seventh heaven when Del had the name of his business, Rudy’s Custom Carpentry, imprinted on the side of the truck door. 

Ken enjoyed the Tampa Bay Rays and Buccaneers, the New York Yankees, owned a wall full of treasured caps, and took on a short-lived hobby of fishing.  He loved music, especially old Reggae tunes and his favorite song was “I’m Your Puppet.”  He would spin his records for hours and dance until dawn.  He and Del enjoyed traveling, especially cruising around the Caribbean.  They traveled far and wide from Hawaii to Alaska to Italy.

Ken simply enjoyed life.  He was always smiling and never let anything slow him down.  After receiving the double diagnosis of both Stage 4 Cancer and Parkinson’s disease, he fought hard for nearly four years to combat both debilitating diseases.  He attended every cancer treatment, dutifully took his medications, and pushed himself to walk as much as possible – all because he wanted to live.  Sadly, in the end, on Sunday, August 16, 2020, Parkinson’s won out, but not before he gave it a hard fight.

Ken will be remembered for his easy-going spirit, his kindness, his love for God, and for his service to his dear Church community at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He leaves behind his wife of over 40 years, Deloris; his sister-in-law Clare Lynn Gabbidon (Seymour); his children,  Addequet, Juliet, Desiree (Rodney), Normandelle Katherine, Debbie (Bobbie); his step-children, Barry, Winston, Denis (Fay), Beverley, Basil, Sharon (José) and Donovan (Ginger); his grandchildren, Kamille, Desilette, Natasha, Thana, Zarina, Ajani, Damani, Kamua, and eleven step-grandchildren, including Britt Adele, Denis Jr., Althea, and Alejandro; his cousins, Dudley (Sonja), and Del, and many more relatives.  He will be dearly missed by family and friends.