O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To‑morrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

- Robert Frost

Judy Abel died peacefully the morning of October 24th, with her daughter Ann at her bedside serenading her with a favorite song as she drew her final breath.

Judy was always proud of her educational achievements, having earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Kansas. In 1971, her book, The Social Determination of Knowledge dedicated to her parents, Darrel and Janet Abel, was published.

But Judy tended to delight in much simpler things through most of her life. She believed deeply in eating healthy, and to that end, she cultivated a massive garden with her dearly loved husband John, tending diligently to the soil and plants to grow a wide variety of delightful organic fruits, veggies and legumes.

Indeed, Judy enjoyed nature and treasured her beloved country homestead outside Lawrence where she dedicated hours to bird watching, collecting and reading books on birds and learning their calls and how to identify them. She attracted hummingbirds and a wide variety of other birds to her home with feeders and trays of delectable bird food on her deck where she delighted in watching their antics through her large sliding glass windows.

Judy always had pets. It seemed that cats were her favorites, but she doted on many dogs throughout her life as well. Even as she struggled with dementia, she remembered her pets fondly and would inquire about their well-being, smiling broadly at photos of them.

Judy shared much of her adult life with her husband, John Albright, and these were her happiest years. John shared her love of animals and supported any endeavor she took on from gardening, to helping maintain the homestead she loved. Her greatest loss and struggle in life was when John was overtaken by frontal temporal dementia.

Judy always looked up to her parents, Darrel and Janet, who predeceased her. She came from a lively household with six sisters. Her sister, Mary, died at a young age, and she spoke of Mary’s death with a great deal of sadness. Her sister, Jan, spent much of her adult life dealing with severe disabling mental health issues, and Judy helped guide her care in the

last decades of her life, moving her to Kansas to better support her. Judy is survived by her sisters, Sandy, Marge, Roz and Betsy.

Judy is survived by her four children, Jan Willer (Mark Osing), Bill Willer, Ann Willer (John Harp), and Fred Willer (Brenda Hough).

Judy was overjoyed when she became the grandmother to Beckett Willer, whom she adored and she spoke of with great pride. Despite her deep dementia in her final days of life, she inquired after Beckett expressing her desire to spend time with him.

There will be a private celebration of life for immediate family. The family requests no flowers, but donations to Alzheimer’s research or frontal temporal dementia research are welcomed.