George Cabaniss

1956 - 2020

George Alan Cabaniss died Friday, July 17th of colon cancer, first diagnosed in 2014. Born in Decatur, Illinois on August 15th, 1956, he grew up in Silver Lake, Ohio, the son of George and Margaret Cabaniss. George leaves behind a multitude of good friends, including several friendships lasting decades. Dan, Dale, Gary, Kal, Scotty, Butch, Rabbit (Mary), John, Patti, Frank, Chuck, Tom, first wife, Becky, Tren, Carol, Rocky, Sherry, Bob, Hammer, and Don, his friend and former wife Janice Gray, and close friend, Ann Crock, are just a few of them. The family wishes to apologize for any omission; George was very blessed. He was so thankful for the many devoted friends who supported him throughout his illness and made it possible for him to remain at home during his final months. He leaves behind two siblings, sister, Anne of New Albany, IN and brother, Kevin (Crissy) of St. Louis, MO; four nieces and nephews, all from California: Meredith, Mark, Colette and Johnny. He was preceded in death by his brother, Mark who passed away last year, his parents and grandparents. George was a notable and talented guitar player from his teens, known throughout the NE Ohio region for his distinctive style. George's musicality was well appreciated, not only locally, but by aficionados coast to coast, as well as in the UK, EU and Japan. Besides being a guitarist of great skill, he also worked tirelessly to compose clever pop and rock songs for both male and female singers, words and music that you wished you had written yourself. His guitar solos had an adventurous style, well crafted and executed with bursts of jaw-dropping flash, passion, and always superb tone, vibrato and feel. He loved electric guitars and amps and how they worked together, continually searching for the perfect combinations of sound, response and playability, whether from vintage or brand-new instruments. But George sounded like George, no matter what he played! Every town has a guitar player that every other guitar player in town respects, and he was Akron's for over four decades. George was in the following bands over the past 40+ years: Kil Cooley, Yankee, Hammer Damage, Dead Boys, Stiv Bators Band, Sodbusters, Color Me Gone, Village Idiots, Bad Dudes, Paper Crowns, Orange Ruffians and the Psyclones. There will be a memorial gathering sometime during the summer of 2021 at Virginia Kendall Park. Honor George's life by being kind and nurturing to all living things, from the tiny gnat to the bull elephant. The family extends our deepest gratitude to Chris, Rene, Mona Lisa and Yvonne from Summa Hospice. Memorial gifts can be donated to the charity of your choice.