Dr. Fred Eric (Rick) Sabol
Longtime emergency room physician, Dr. Fred Eric (Rick) Sabol, of Spanishburg, WV, passed suddenly at his home on February 25, 2024, following a short illness. Born in Wheeling, WV, on June 13, 1949, Dr. Sabol’s storied medical career spanned some 40 years, covering a multitude of roles.
Dr. Sabol’s journey into medicine began after graduating from Triadelphia High School and working as a lab tech at the Wheeling hospital, while pursuing and earning his Bachelor of Science degree at West Liberty State College.
Soon after college he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and entered Officer Candidate School at the United States Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL. Rising to the rank of Captain, Dr. Sabol’s military career took him around the world, flying the F-4 Phantom to many places including Korea, Okinawa, and the Philippines. To his death, he proudly displayed the American and Marine Corps flag each day at his home, on his vehicle, and even while on vacation. He loved sharing his military stories with family and friends and gained much enjoyment from revisiting those times in his life.
Following his military career, Dr. Sabol was accepted into and graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1984 in Lewisburg, WV, becoming a doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) and Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (F.A.C.E.P.). For the next 40 years, Dr. Sabol worked faithfully and diligently attending to countless thousands of the sick and injured and training other health professionals along the way with his precision and skill. He served at many hospitals in West Virginia including Hinton, Princeton, Bluefield, Charleston, and Keyser, as well as Galax, VA. He served as past Medical Director for the Bluestone Valley Fire Department, Princeton Rescue Squad, and the Mercer County Health Department, and until October 2023, Dr. Sabol was still a practicing ER physician for West Virginia University Medicine in Keyser, WV.
Dr. Sabol lived by the motto ‘work hard, play hard’. In later years, he enjoyed writing and authored a book based loosely on his life experiences. When he wasn’t working long, exhausting hours, he cherished time with his friends and family. He was most proud of his daughter, Erica, and his son, Sean, and often bragged to others of their independence, talents, and success in their professions, academic accomplishments, work ethic, and his grandchildren. When time permitted, Dr. Sabol enjoyed traveling to his favorite places, Ocracoke Island and Lake Norman, NC; Scottsdale, AZ; and Key West and Navarre Beach, FL.
Dr. Sabol was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Jean Bartsch, and his father, Fred Sabol. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Martha Farley Sabol; his sister, Sherry (Jon) of Orlando, KY; his daughter, Erica Sabol Piper, (Chris) Hanna, and Danny of Richmond, VA; and his son, Sean, (Candace), of Union, WV; and grandchildren, Bryce and Seana. He loved swapping military stories and sharing stories of his life with nephews and nieces, Matt, Brian, Heath, Heather, Rachel, and Seth; and sisters-in-law, Kimberly (Farley), Carla (Leslie), and Debbie (Farley); and brothers-in-law, Tim Farley and Jim Leslie.
Upon his wishes, Dr. Sabol will be cremated. Friends and family will gather to honor Fred (Rick) Sabol on Thursday, February 29th, from 4 – 7 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Directory in Princeton, WV. A memorial service will be held Friday, March 1st, at 1 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Directory, with burial to follow at Sarver Cemetery on Old Spanishburg Road, near his beloved farm. Friends and family will gather at Spanishburg United Methodist Church for an honor dinner in memory of Fred (Rick) and enjoy fellowship and stories of his life.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The First UMC of Spanishburg, Spanishburg, WV.
Online condolences may be shared with the family via www.memorialfd.com.
The Sabol family is being served by the Memorial Funeral Directory and Cremation Center on Athens Road in Princeton, WV.
