3 replies to this topic

[S A Dunbar]

I was very sorry to learn of the passing of Warren Fairbanks... Warren died October 18, 2012 of cancer.

My first memory of Warren was in a 1957 Corvette at Meadowdale Raceway in Carpentersville, IL. Warren also raced a 1964 289 Cobra, a 1969 Camaro in the 70's and later a Corvette in the 1980's. A true gentleman of the sport who will be missed.

My condolences to his family and friends...

[RA Historian]

He won the 1967 Road America Badger 200 in a 289 Cobra.

[ReWind]

Obituary:

Warren Clyde Fairbanks, age 76, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 18, 2012 surrounded by family at his residence in St. Charles. He was born September 13, 1936 in Chicago, the son of Benjamin W. and Catherine J. (nee Martin) Fairbanks. He was united in marriage to Marile Kolis on March 11, 1967 in Chicago.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Marile of St. Charles; his daughter, Karin (and husband Glen) Crawford of Philadelphia, PA; three granddaughters, Emma, Elisabeth, and Alexandra Crawford; his sister, Joan ( and husband Jerry) Andrews of Destin, FL; a niece, Christie Andrews; and many other loving family and friends.

In addition to his parents, Warren is preceded in death by his sister, Charlotte VanDiggelen; and a brother, Bill Fairbanks, whose extensive family resides now mainly in Minnesota, and Texas.

Warren will be remembered most for his enjoyment of life, his quick humor, his sense of adventure, and most of all for his loyalty and lifelong love of friends and family.

As a young man, Warren was a mechanic and race car driver, excelling at both. Over his more than 25 years of racing, he was privileged to own or drive many of the most desirable cars such as a ’57 corvette, a ’64 camaro, and an original ’64 Shelby Cobra whose current owner had been working with Warren to research its racing history. Warren’s favorite (home) track was Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He knew every crack and bump on that track, and in later years found comfort re-running races in his head. Warren was also a brilliant mechanic who was known for his ability to figure out complex problems and for fixing anything. Although he did not have a college degree, he served for many years as the head of Research and Development for a scissor lift company. As he put it, the engineers would give him the blueprints, and he would actually figure out how to make it work!

Warren was a man who believed in enjoying life to the fullest, because you never knew when it might end. He and his family travelled through many states, particularly in the West. Some of his favorite trips were to the mountains, especially around Silverton, Colorado. Together with his wife and daughter, they appreciated camping in the mountains, hiking up several 14,000-foot mountains, horsepacking over the Continental Divide, and driving the 4-wheel-drive jeep over high passes, some of them little more than dirt trails. I can remember many times when he crawled that jeep sideways up a wall to let some crazy person who had no business being on the pass get through!

Most of all, though, Warren was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. Marile and Warren have been married for 46 years and were privileged to raise their daughter and to enjoy three granddaughters. Warren was surrounded by close friends, many of whom he met when he was young and stayed close with for all his life. He will be remembered as a strong man, a rock to hold onto, a patient man, a gentle man, the perfect high perch for his grandchildren, the man who holds people up to put the star on the Christmas tree, a fixer of things, a man who took care of his family, and a man who was loved.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2012 from 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 noon at Moss-Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third Street (three blocks west of the river and one block south of Rt. 64) in St. Charles.

A funeral service will be held at 12:00 noon on Sunday at the funeral home. There will be a luncheon at the family’s home afterward. Interment will be private.

Memorial contributions in Warren’s name may be directed to University of Chicago Brain Tumor Center, c/o Jean Arzbaecher and Dr. Rimas Lukas, 5841 S. Maryland m/c 2030, Chicago, IL 60637.

His career according to
RacingSportsCars & UltimateRacingHistory

[ERIKZ]

Warren Fairbanks actually raced two different Cobras....the first one was one of the ex-Tom Payne Cobras (1965) and the second Cobra was the ex-Pat Manning Cobra (1966-1970). Warren was a mechanic for both of the prior owners of 2051 (Reed, Manning) he liked the Cobra so much he ended up purchasing the car and racing it from 1966-1970.