Omar Abd Rabbu, a founding member and former Director General of Okaz Organization for Press and Publication, died in Al-Mostaqbal Hospital here Saturday. He was 94. Funeral prayers were held Sunday at Al-Jaffali Mosque and he was buried at Hawwa (Eve) Graveyard next to his wife. Besides holding several senior positions, Abd Rabbu was also a well-known folk poet. He was also president of Al-Ahli Sports Club and had opened a office dedicated to solve problems faced by the common man. Incidentally, Abd Rabbu died hours after his eldest daughter Thuraiyah was discharged from Sulaiman Faqih Hospital. She was undergoing treatment for some heart problem. Abd Rabbu was born in Jeddah and studied at Al-Falah Schools where he worked later as a teacher. He worked as Chief Accountant of Royal Palaces and later as an assistant of the head of Royal Palaces. He also worked as a representative of the Ministry of Finance in the Western Region before his retirement in 1973. After retirement he worked as a consultant for the same ministry for five years. Abd Rabbu was as close to successive rulers of the Kingdom as to the common man. His poetry was first published in Al-Madina newspaper under the title Omariyat, then in Okaz under the title Baladiyat. Abd Rabbu is survived by ten sons and daughters. One of his sons Khaled is the Saudi ambassador to Nigeria. Condolences can be offered at Abd Rabbu's house in Al-Nuzlah Al-Yamaniya behind Khuzam Palace and on the phone number 0535330663 or Fax number 6447696 02. – Okaz/SG – With reports from Talib Bin Mahfouz, Saeed Aal Mansour and Muhammad Dawoud __
