ABBOTT, William 1926-2019

ABBOTT, PINGEL, BRIGGS

Posted By: Nettie Mae (email)
Date: 12/28/2023 at 11:12:00

William "Bill" Abbott, a 30-year member of the Whiteside County Board and one of the organizers of ambulance service in Fulton, died on March 25 of natural causes in Morrison. He was part of a family that has farmed in Whiteside County since 1848.
Abbott farmed near Fulton since 1952, was a Whiteside County deputy sheriff from 1968-88, when he retired as a sergeant and won election to the county board. A fiscal conservative, Abbott served on the board from 1989-2019. He joined the volunteer Fulton Fire Department in 1960 and served for 37 years. He also was a longtime member of the board of the Whiteside County Farm Bureau board. Abbott was a board member and helped organize ambulance service in Fulton. Over his lifetime, he donated more than 40 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.
Following closure of the Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in 1980, Abbott became a member of the Garden Plain Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder and a member of the church board. He was also a 32nd degree Mason and a member of the Dunlap Lodge #321 A.F. & A.M. in Morrison.
Bill was born February 22, 1926, in Sterling the son of Louis Asa and Eunice Margaret (Pingel) Abbott. He married Betty Louise Briggs on June 12, 1948, in Cisco. They met as students at the University of Illinois, where he earned an agriculture degree in 1949. She died on Dec 1, 2016, after more than 68 years of marriage.
Survivors include four children, Linda, Charles, Alfred and Louis; 11 grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and a brother, Edward Abbott.
Memorials can be made to the Fulton Food Pantry or the Fulton Fire Department.
A gathering of family and friends will be at the McDonald Funeral Home, 1601 Sixteenth Ave, Fulton on Friday, April 26, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. with Masonic Rites held at 7:00 p.m. Memorial service will be at the Garden Plain Presbyterian Church, 14915 Sand Road, on Saturday, April 27, at 11 a.m., preceded by visitation at 10:30 a.m. Luncheon will be served at the church after the memorial service. Interment will be at Cottonwood Cemetery, on Millard Road, one-quarter mile north of U.S. 30, following the luncheon.
Online condolences may be sent to www.mcdonaldfuneralhomes.com
Published Clinton Herald on April 8, 2019