William “Bill” Abel, 95, of Tucson, peacefully passed away surrounded by family on September 22, 2024, after a long and fulfilling life.
Bill was born in 1928 in Monticello, N.Y. of Louis Alexander “Alex” and Anna Abel who were dairy farmers and had a butcher shop in Lake Huntington, N.Y. He later attended Cornell University where he graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and was also a member of the ROTC. His first practice was in Taylorville, Ill. and through family connections he met and married Tauna “Toni” Sirota in 1954. During their 51 years of devotion and marriage, Bill and Toni (1933-2005) had four children: David, Leslie, Martha, and Judith “Judy”.
Shortly after their wedding, Bill was drafted to serve during the Korean war. Bill was a Lieutenant in the Army and was stationed in San Antonio, Baltimore and Chicago, where he used childhood lessons from the farm and his veterinary training to help ensure that the army’s food supply was safe.
After the army, Bill and Toni relocated to Bettendorf, Iowa where he built a thriving veterinary practice. He was active in Temple Emanuel, Rotary Club, served on the Board of the Dixon/Wheatland Bank, and continued his lifelong passion for farming. In 1992, Bill and Toni retired to Tucson first as snowbirds, and permanently in 2003.
Bill had a lifelong curiosity about the world. He enjoyed people, travel, art, laughing, teaching, science and new ideas. He believed in leaving everyone and everywhere he touched better than when he found them. He was beloved by his community and his family. Bill is survived by his three daughters, Leslie Abel, Martha Connolly, and Judith “Judy” Abel: six grandchildren, Joseph “Joe” Ducey, Katherine “Kate” Ducey, Alexander “Alex” Ducey, Rachel Ravid, Alexandra Connolly and Keenan Hoar Perez. He was blessed to know and be survived by two great-grandsons, Geva Abel Ravid and Benjamin Ducey Felsen. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alex Abel and Anna Abel; wife, Tauna Abel; sister, Gwendolyn Goldberg; brother, Martin Abel; and baby son, David.
The family has not announced plans for a service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Kidney Fund, World Vets, and Temple Emanuel in Davenport, Iowa.
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