COUNCIL #4962 - RAYTOWN- POPE PIUS XII REMEMBERS |
Don Abell, 91, passed away Wednesday, January 6, 2016, at Villa Saint Joseph in Overland Park, Kan., surrounded by his family. A member of the 'Greatest Generation,' Don was born on March 18, 1924, in Kansas City, Mo., to Henry Bertram Abell and Anna Mary Flanagan Abell. He grew up in Northeast Kansas City, attended Holy Cross Grade School, and graduated from Northeast High School in 1942. Don met his sweetheart, Henrietta Beverung, 'the pretty girl in the red hat,' at church on a Sunday in April, 1941. In December 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army and went on to serve his country with distinction as a proud member of the 'Screaming Eagles' of the 101st Airborne Division 501. Don parachuted into Nazi-occupied France in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and later jumped into Holland, where he was injured in combat. He was awarded numerous military accommodations, including the Purple Heart, for his honorable service. After Don returned home from the war, he married Henrietta on June 9, 1945. They were blessed with five children. It was a love story that lasted 70 years. He went to work for NAPA Auto Parts, where he worked for 43 years before retiring in 1986 as sales manager. He was a lifelong Catholic and was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Raytown, Mo., for over 60 years, where he served as a lector and eucharistic minister. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Council #4962. |