Carol Ann Abel

Carol Ann Abel was born October 24, 1946, in Elizabethtown, KY to the late Ethel Marie (Cofer) Rogers and Clay Dean Rogers and passed away on September 5, 2025. She was the second of five children. Carol attended St. James Elementary and Etown Catholic High School. She was a four-year cheerleader while there and graduated in 1964. During the mid-sixties she took part in the Miss Hardin County Fair beauty pageant where she was crowned Miss First runner-up. Soon after at another event Carol was named Miss Christmas of Elizabethtown. Carol was a beautiful person both inside and out!

After completing high school, Carol attended Western Kentucky University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. Over the next several years, she continued her education at WKU earning a Master's degree and Rank One.

Carol was a lifetime member of St. James Catholic Church in Elizabethtown where she was baptized as an infant. Her faith in God was especially important to her throughout her life. During Carol's career teaching, she worked and took part in many work groups and support organizations. In 2002 she was appointed as a Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky Governor Paul Patton.

Carol married the love of her life, Colonel (Ret) Allen Abel in March 1991. They became not only spouses, but best friends and soulmates. Together they enjoyed family, friends, travel, and UK basketball. With sister-law Lindia and husband Joe OConner, they attended many UK SEC tournaments over the years together, enjoying all the festivities, fun, and laughter along the way. Dressing up in the "Wildcats" color for team support was the best part! At home, Carol enjoyed cooking as a hobby and it came naturally to her from traits she received from her mother. She often cooked not only for her husband, but for family, friends, and especially UK parties. Her specialty was sugar cream pie! Carol and Allen were members of a local Classic Corvettes Club. Attending car shows, Christmas Parades in Etown and road trips throughout Kentucky, with occasional trips to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.

At home, Carol relaxed and enjoyed hobbies of decorating, feeding the birds, and deer that ventured into the yard. Her front door decorations changed with seasons and activities (Big Blue Basketball). Summertime decorations included flowers inside and out. Wintertime focus was always around major holidays, especially Christmas.

Carol was a loving wife, stepmother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to all who were blessed to have known her. Heavenly lights are shining brighter upon her arrival. Survivors include her loving and devoted husband, Allen; three stepchildren, Rick Abel (Susan) of Cocoa Beach, FL; Lisa Nally of Melbourne, FL; Amy Ullrich (Jim) of Neskowin, OR; and four grandchildren, Jessica Stafford, Alexa Nally, Abby and Addison Ullrich. Carol always had a special place in her heart for her nieces, Amy Baldwin (Thomas) and Wesley Hatfield (Bryan), all of Elizabethtown along with great nieces and great nephews, Mason, Evie and Eliza Baldwin, Hayes and Myla Hatfield and many other nieces and nephews from the Bill Mumford family. Carol is also survived by two sisters; Patricia E. (Rogers) Mumford of Floyds Knob, IN; Mary Jo Rogers of Elizabethtown and two brothers, David D. Rogers (Elaine) of Elizabethtown; Mark T. Rogers of Elizabethtown.

Mass of Christian Burial is Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 11am at St. James Catholic Church in Elizabethtown, KY. Burial follows in St. James Catholic Cemetery. Visitation is at Brown Funeral Home in Elizabethtown, KY on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from 4pm - 8pm. There will be a Prayer Vigil Service at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Expressions of sympathy may take form of contributions to St. James Catholic Church or Cancer Research.

"Absent from the body, present with the Lord"