Phyllis Dorothy Ball Abele

Phyllis Dorothy Ball Abele, 89, went home to be with the Lord on April 8, 2025. Born on October 28, 1935, in Elmhurst, IL, she was the wife of the late Dr. Donald C. Abele and the daughter of the late Harry Rawson Ball and Elsie Anderson Ball.

Phyllis graduated from Normandy High School in St. Louis, MO, in 1954. She then attended the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing. After graduating nursing school, she married her husband, Don Abele, and moved with him to Chapel Hill, NC, in 1957 for his residency. She was employed at Gravely T.B. Sanatorium, and they became avid Tarheel fans.

In 1968, they moved to Augusta, GA, where Don took a professorship in dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia. In Augusta, Phyllis was very involved in the community, including as an active member and volunteer at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Following the death of her husband, Phyllis moved to Spartanburg, SC, in 2005 to be near her daughter, Dr. Karen DeVore. As a resident at Summit Hills Retirement Community, she enjoyed line dancing, watercolor, walking with friends, playing bridge and gardening. Phyllis was known for telling jokes and was the life of the party, but the thing she valued most was her family.

She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Karen Abele DeVore (Bill); her sons, Matthew Karl Abele (Sue), Kenneth Gregory Abele (Sally) and John Benjamin Abele (Jenna); her sister, Sylvia Ball Hampton; her brother, Norman Ball (Drusilla); her grandchildren, Amy, Ashley, Andrew, Ansley, Carlisle, Mary Katherine, Emma, Ben, Frances, Lennon and Hogan; and eight great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on April 18, 2025, at Bobo Funeral Chapel in Spartanburg, SC, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. A memorial service will follow at Bobo Funeral Chapel at 3:00 PM. Rev. Steve Wise will be officiating the service.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Mobile Meals: https://mobile-meals-site.org/

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