Dee was born on September 21, 1928, near Somerset, PA to Gillespie and Vesta Rhoades. She was the second of 3 children. In 1957, while working as a bookkeeper for a car dealer in El Paso, TX, Dee went on a blind date with Doyal Abbott, an Air Force airman who worked in fuel systems, and the two would marry later that year. Their daughter Denise was born in El Paso, TX in 1958 and Doyal’s military service took them all over the world over the next 20 years, living in places like Germany, the Philippines, and California. When he left the military, they settled in South Carolina where Dee worked as a bookkeeper at a High School. They lived in Columbia until 1993 when Dee and Doyal moved to Cary to be closer to their daughter’s family.
Dee was active in her social circles and regularly attended Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary. She enjoyed cooking and baking for family and friends, well known for her cookie platters she delivered during the Christmas season. Dee was also an avid sports fan and became a huge Carolina Hurricanes fan when the team moved to Raleigh in 1997, holding season tickets for 26 years with her close friend Terri Green and witnessing them win the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Dee is preceded in death by her parents Gillespie B and Vesta F Rhoades and her sister Lois (Jack) Lenz.
She is survived by her daughter, Denise (Virgil) Sealy, her granddaughter Alana (Brenton) Pabst, her great-grandsons Caleb and Connor Pabst, her brother Gerald (Martha) Rhoades and niece Liz Rhoades.
The funeral will take place at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary on Saturday, January 6th, 2024 at 11:00 AM followed by a reception and inurnment of her remains in the columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BrownWynneCary.com for the Abbott family.
