Michel (Mike) Dabbar passed away on February 23rd, 2023 peacefully in his sleep at the age of 88. Mike wanted his obituary to reflect his love of God and his family, as well as his gratitude to the United States, a country that welcomed him and gave him a second chance at life. He was born on March 6, 1934, in Alexandria, Egypt. The younger son of Elie Dabbar and Helen Dabbar, Mike immigrated to the United States in 1966 and was naturalized an American citizen in 1969. He dearly loved his two wives, Pearl Hovdet Dabbar of 40 years who passed away in 2000, and Patricia Smith Dabbar his wife of the past 18 years, his two sons John and Paul, and their families.
Mike graduated from Memphis Preparatory School and British Boys School, Alexandria, and attended the University of Alexandria. He began his career in banking, insurance, and marine transportation in Egypt. He started his career at Barclays Bank. Along with his father and brother, Mike ran a ship agency and import-export business in the Mediterranean Sea area. Mike met Pearl Dabbar, a US Foreign Service Officer working at the consulate in Alexandria, in 1959 and they were married in San Diego, California after which they returned to Egypt where their first son John was born. Mike and Pearl moved to the New York City area, where his second son Paul was born. Mike was very fortunate to receive an offer to work for Phillips 66 in New York at Irving Trust Building at One Wall Street. He use to tell a story that he periodically would walk during lunch breaks into the lobby of the headquarters of J.P. Morgan at 23 Wall Street to admire the chandelier, a firm and location his son Paul would work at two decades later.
At Phillips 66 he started out in wholesale gas marketing, and in 1969 transferred to the Tokyo office. While in Tokyo, Mike was responsible for the sales of Kenai LNG to Japanese electrical power companies, and sales of fuel oil to Japanese maritime consumers. In 1973, Mike moved the family to Bartlesville Oklahoma, the headquarters of Phillips 66. Mike took on responsibility for crude oil supply just months before the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which led to several years of shuttling between Gulf Arab states, Venezuela, and Norway.
In 1978 Mike returned to his maritime roots, becoming Phillips 66 Marine Manager with responsibility for the operated and chartered fleet. He was particularly proud and impacted when he was asked to run the shipping business, given the history of his family shipping business. He subsequently moved into a supply and trading leadership position, eventually retiring from Phillips 66 in 1996 after 29 years of service. Mike couldn’t stay away and continued to be a consultant to the international crude supply team for another two years, finally retiring in Bartlesville Oklahoma in 1998.
Mike loved the sea and in 1989 bought an ocean-front condominium in Coronado, California so he could spend his vacations at the beach and watch glorious sunsets; upon retirement in 1998 he became a permanent resident of Coronado. Mike had a strong faith in God and was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church. His involvement included serving on the Vestry, ushering, and serving as a Lay Eucharistic Visitor. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of Coronado, and a member of the Board of the Coronado Historical Association. He served for six years as Executive Director of the Coronado Roundtable and then became Director Emeritus. He was a supporter of the Coronado Hospital Foundation, Friends of the Library, and the Floral Association.
In 2005 Mike married Patricia Smith of La Jolla, California and they lived together in Coronado for many years, relocating to Naples, Florida in 2019.
Mike will be remembered as a wonderful colleague, friend, husband, father, and grandfather, who had a level of thoughtfulness to all around him that was of a different age than we see today. He had a perspective of the global energy industry that is hard to replace, with long histories of efforts all over the world.
He is particularly remembered by his family as a standard of love, kindness, steadiness and working hard without complaints. His life example of having lost all his material possessions, moving to a new country to remake his life, and building a wonderful family and a wide group of friends, is something that inspired his family every day.
He is survived by his wife Patricia of Naples, Florida, son John (Susan) of Houston, TX, son Paul (Andrea) of Scarsdale, NY, and four grandchildren: R.J., Skylar, Katie, and Will.
Donations in memory of Mike may be made to the AVOW Hospice of Naples, Florida, where he was comforted and cared for in his final days (https://avowcares.org).
Submitted by the family
