- Date Of Death: October 8, 2017
- State: Indiana
Dr. Billy L. Abel, 96, of Franklin, died Sunday, October 8, 2017. He was born September 25, 1921 to Lester N. and Katherine E. Abel in Whiteland, Indiana. Billy lived in the following towns in his youth: Acton, Switz City, Whitcomb, Westport, Milton, and Vincennes, where he played on a very successful 1939 Alice’s team.
He served in the Army Air Force in World War II, serving at Buckingham Air Base, Fort Myers, Florida and Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas. Upon discharge, he continued his education at Franklin College and the University of Louisville, M.Ed. He taught and coached at Pekin, Paoli, and Charlestown high schools.
Bill’s whole life focused around education and the development of young people. He received his Doctorate in Education from IU in 1970. As Associate Professor of Secondary Education, he was a mentor to many secondary school principals and administrators. He served as Associate Director of the North Central Association in which he led accreditations of Indiana high schools and overseas armed forces high schools.
He was a Principal at Attica, Plainfield, Ben Davis, and Bedford High Schools before becoming an associate professor at IU. He taught at IU-Bloomington and IUPUI until retirement.
He and his wife lived in Herndon, Virginia before he moved back to Indiana after her passing.
Above all, Bill dearly loved his family and the time he spent with them. Bill is survived by his children and their spouses, Bill and Mary Lake Abel and Kate and Bill Plummer; his grandchildren, Matthew (Janinne) Abel, Elizabeth (Jared) Kassebaum, Laura (Chris) Meinzen, Joseph Plummer and Susan Plummer; his great-grandchildren, Ayden Collins, William and James Abel; Rebekah, Alice, and MaryBeth Kassebaum; Madeleine Meinzen; siblings, Russell Abel and Mary VanAllen and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy L. “Dotty” Abel, an infant son, Phillip Abel and a sister, Vera Holmes.
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