Harold E. McCabe, decorated WWII veteran
Harold E. McCabe, 95, of near Milton passed away peacefully at home in the presence of his family at sunrise Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Born May 29, 1925, in Georgetown, he was the son of the late C. Russell and Agnes Donaway McCabe.
He attended Georgetown High School, and was one of the last surviving members of Coach George Keen’s Golden Knights football squads that went undefeated for nearly four straight seasons. On May 28, 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. Following basic training in New York, where he was taught self-defense by boxing champ Jack Dempsey and saw Sinatra at the Paramount, he was sent to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he joined members of the U.S. Marines amphibious forces preparing for action in the Pacific. Following arrival at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1943, he was assigned to the Coast Guard-manned Attack Transport USS Leonard Wood. He was an active participant in the invasion of the Marshall Islands, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, Saipan, Palau and the Philippines. During this time he was a member of an LCVP crew which landed troops on hotly contested beaches, sometimes under intense fire. During the invasions of Leyte and Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines, he was assigned to an anti-aircraft battery which was responsible for protecting his ship from attacks by kamikaze suicide planes then menacing the American fleet. Following the conclusion of the war he participated in the transfer of troops to Occupied Japan, and the return home of countless combat veterans, something he remembered as a joyful experience for all. Seaman First Class McCabe was discharged in March 1946.
Returning home, he soon began his 35-year career with Delaware (now Delmarva) Power and Light. During the early years of his employment he participated in the completion of the electrification of rural Sussex County, a source of delight for farm families who sometimes offered home-baked pies and the occasional chicken as a sign of appreciation.
On July 15, 1950, he married the love of his life, Louise E. Hurley of Milton, in the sanctuary of Goshen Methodist Church. The couple settled in Georgetown, where they lived for 37 years before building their retirement home near Milton. He was a member of Franklin Lodge No. 12, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, Post 6984, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Delaware Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Company. In addition, he and Louise were members of Grace United Methodist Church and were among the founders of the Georgetown Historical Society and Sussex Pines Country Club. He was one of a long line of oral historians whose stories brought light to the past, and was a firm believer in the importance of self-respect and treating others as one would wish to be treated. He never knew a stranger and kept his sense of humor to the end - a lesson for us all.
Harold was preceded in death by his wife Louise, who passed away Jan. 12, 2020. He is survived by his sons and next-door neighbors C. Russell McCabe (Michele) and Joseph E. McCabe (Tammy), and daughter Melissa McCabe Shoultes (Gordon) of Seaford. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Kristin Whitley (A.J.), Josiah McCabe (Chrissy), Noah McCabe (Brittney), Coulter McCabe and Jenna Shoultes, as well as two great-grandchildren, Elijah and Briah McCabe; his goddaughter Ellen Pusey Bennett; brother Theodore J. McCabe of New Jersey; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the many caregivers who made his last days a bit easier.
There will be a graveside service at Union Cemetery in Georgetown at 3 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 1. Friends of the family are invited to join them for a celebration of the lives of Harold and Louise at Mulligan’s Pointe near Georgetown from 4 to 6 p.m.
