Herb Mabry was, by definition, a public servant.
“He did more for the working people of Georgia than anyone I’ve ever known,” said former Gov. Roy Barnes. “He was a bear of a man with the heart of a lion.”
Herbert Hoover Mabry, of Sandy Springs, died Tuesday at St. Joseph’s Hospital of cardiac-related complications. He was 82. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m., Friday at Sandy Springs First Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Arlington Memorial Park. Sandy Springs Chapel Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Mabry spent his life in service and politics, friends and family said. One of his most visible roles was the 27 years he spent as the president of the Georgia AFL-CIO. He was the consummate “yellow dog” Democrat and worked tirelessly for the party as a member of the Fulton County, state and national Democratic committees. From 1972 to 2000, Mr. Mabry served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention and was an elector on the 1992 presidential ballot.
“The greatest thing about Herb was that he was always trying to help somebody,” Mr. Barnes said. “He would call me about a buddy who was out of work or something, wanting to know if I could help. And you just didn’t turn Herb Mabry down, because you knew he was helping someone else, not himself.”
Mr. Mabry’s love for helping people took many forms, said Bobby Kahn, former chief of staff for Gov. Barnes.
“After he retired, he would drop by my office,” Mr. Kahn said. “But not for a favor or to talk politics, he wanted to know about my kids and my wife.”
Mr. Mabry had a way of putting the needs of others before his own, Mr. Kahn said.
“I’ll never forget, at the 2000 convention, my daughter was on the floor and she couldn’t see,” he said. “She was about nine at the time, and Herb picked her up so she could see. He just did things like that all of the time.”
Mr. Mabry also had the ability to communicate with the business community and the common man, associates said.
“Herb was one of those rare union officials who could represent organized labor in a way the business community felt was responsible,” said Sam Massell, president of the Buckhead Coalition and a former mayor of Atlanta. “He was excellent at bringing conflicts to conclusion.”
Bill Mabry, of Marietta, said his father didn’t grow up with a lot of opportunities, so he was always able to connect with people on a very basic level.
“He never forgot where he came from,” his son said. “He always had a kind word for the workers, and that’s who he identified with, he felt he was one of them.
Mr. Mabry is also survived by two daughters, LuAnn Warrick of Marietta and Sandra Moltz of Roswell; two other sons, Bob Mabry of Las Vegas and Paul Mabry of Atlanta; five sisters; two brothers; 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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