Joyce Abel

Joyce Long Abel passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on Thursday, May 15, in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Joyce was born on July 12, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois to Dorothy Zerweck and Harry Lester Long. The youngest of two daughters.

Joyce spent her younger years growing up in St. Louis where she attended University City High School After graduation, she went on to attend William Woods College in Fulton, MO then transferred to Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education. It was at William Woods where she met and would later marry her beloved husband, Charles C. Abel, MD with whom she devoted 53 years of marriage.

After graduating from Washington University, Joyce was hired by the Ladue School District as a Physical Education teacher where she shared her enthusiasm for exercise and fresh air.

As her children grew, Joyce began her dedication to volunteer work. As a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, she was involved with the Sign of the Arrow shop. She also enjoyed PEO and Meals on Wheels just to name a few. Joyce was a joyful member of Central Presbyterian Church and was involved in teaching Sunday school for over 30 years, Broken Rainbows and Wedding Consulting.

From Joyce's first golf date with Charles, to becoming a Forest Hills CC Charter Member, her devotion to golf never waned. The satisfaction of exercise and connecting with nature brought them much joy! Joyce was a sports enthusiast and could talk sports with the best of them. She had a love for baseball since childhood when she rode the city bus to Sportsman's Park with her sister to enjoy a game and keep score in the sunny bleacher seats. Joyce later visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. and the iconic "Field of Dreams," in nearby Iowa.

Joyce was independent and always ready to make travel plans with family and friends at a moment's notice. Freedom and adventure of being on the road was the motto Joyce lived by! Her car was her house on wheels. Paper maps, wedding silverware, and books on tape were a must. Driving the Baja Peninsula and following the Lewis and Clark Trail were two of her favorite highlights! Whoever Joyce would encounter, she shared, educated and encouraged them to experience travel.

Joyce was a loving, caring, doting and proud mother, wife, grandmother and great grandmother (Gaga). She is survived by her four children: Leslie Smith (Tom); Charles Jr. Abel (Lisa); David Abel (Christina); Diane Kallhoff (Steve). Grandchildren: Chase, Erik, Joshua, Melissa, Hannah, Christopher, Caroline, Hope, Blake. Great -grandchildren: Hudson, Alina , Gibson, Piper, Blakely, Sawyer, and Jackson. Sister-in-Law: Alice Walther.

In addition to her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her loving husband, Charles C. Abel, sister Harriett Ann Taylor and granddaughter Kristy.

A celebration of life will be planned at a later time.

Joyce was a faithful servant of God. She's on the road again to Heaven.