Born Mabel Claire Blose on September 22, 1924 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Mabel Arbogast left this earth just two days shy of her 96th birthday on Sunday morning, September 20, 2020. Her final years, while suffering from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, were spent in comfort under the loving care of her eldest daughter, Sandra Creznic.
One of nine children, Mabel’s only living sibling is sister, Lucille Zeiders, who resides in Palmyra, Pennsylvania under the care of her only child, Bill Zeiders. Mabel is survived by four of her five children. Her second child, Daniel Lee Wilhelm predeceased her in 2007. Her children from oldest to youngest, their spouses, their children and grandchildren are as follows: Daughter Sandra Creznic and her husband George Creznic, son Nicolas, daughter Erin and wife Jenny and their three children, Theo, Gus and Isabel; Son Daniel Wilhelm’s wife, Janet Wilhelm, their two sons, Chris and Jason, Chris’s wife Kristen and their two children, Zachary and MacKenzie; Daughter Susan Wilhelm and husband Michael Durham, Susan’s son Daniel Carson and his daughter Skyonna, Susan’s daughter Wesleigh and husband Chris Hummel and their son, Bennett; Daughter Sharon Antisdel and her husband Jim Antisdel; Son David Wilhelm and wife Renee Wilhelm, their daughters Jaqueline and Jessica, Jaqueline’s husband Lee Varney and their children, sons Skyler and Gryphon and daughter Claire, and Jessica’s husband James Horton.
Mabel’s life reflected that of the quintessential member of the greatest generation, of which few are left. Her parents, Joseph and Mabel Blose, uprooted their large and growing family from Harrisonburg, Virginia to Hummelstown, Pennsylvania around 1930, just after the Wall Street crash of 1929. The family worked their large dairy farm while Joseph worked for an engineering firm building bridges in Harrisburg. They survived the Great Depression. Mabel attended public school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She often repeated her stories of Milton S. Hershey’s kindness and charity to the school children by supplying warm coats, mittens, shoes and healthy cafeteria meals. She grew up with two other chocolate candy makers, the Russell Stover and the Reese families. She graduated from Hershey High School in 1942.
Mabel’s passion for music inspired her to study voice for seven years and play the violin. While her desire to pursue a career in music was exchanged for marriage and family, her music and her voice filled her home until her final days.
World War II abruptly impacted Mabel’s world in the 1940’s. Her brothers and her soon-to-be husband, Daniel Wilhelm, were shipped off to Europe and the Pacific. Mabel worked at the Olmsted Airforce Base in Middletown, Pennsylvania as a secretary.
The war ended and like many young women, Mabel married her returning soldier, Daniel. They built a home in a rural location in West Hanover Township and later purchased a nearby working farm where they built a second home for their five children. Daniel worked a full time job as a carpenter in addition to farming while Mabel managed kids and the house.
For several decades, Daniel and Mabel raised their five children, cultivated, planted and harvested food and feed, raised cattle, horses and various other animals. Mabel toiled day and night to maintain the household, grow and preserve fruits and vegetables and attempt to manage activities for her children. Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Boy Scouts, church choirs, community pool and occasionally driving her children to the beach filled her days. Despite all of this, Mabel sought to use her wits and sales skills to earn a bit of extra money for her family.
Mabel somehow squeezed into a few nights and afternoons her party sales of everything from cotton underwear, cosmetics, jewelry, and solid copper serving ware to cemetery plots. Then, a keen observer suggested that Mabel’s efforts to generate a little pin money would yield much greater rewards if she obtained a real estate license. So, now in her forties, Mabel immersed herself into the world of real estate sales. She dug in to math, law and finance late into the night while still managing the kids, the house and all of her previous duties.
Despite the then male dominated profession, Mabel got her license and forged ahead. No matter what the situation brought to her, she endured the catcalls, bullying and outright dishonesty of her male colleagues. Worse, she did not have the support of her husband. Mabel never faltered. She knocked on doors and worked into the nights and most weekends. She was committed to providing for her children, especially to pay for their education. Her most frequent saying was, “Education is the passport to life.”
Mabel’s career was very tough but she blossomed and succeeded, winning many awards for her sales. She loved the opportunity to meet new people, find good homes for families and celebrate with her colleagues. Mabel supported her children and encouraged them to become educated, work hard, and provide for their families. She continued to pursue excellence in her career by earning credits toward her broker’s license. Shortly before completing her goal, her husband Daniel passed away at the age of 57 in January 1983.
Mabel and her youngest son, David moved to Louisville, Kentucky. David entered the Navy. Several months after losing her husband, Filbert Arbogast, a retired Air Force colonel who had lost his wife to cancer, communicated with her. During the war, he and his wife lived near Mabel and Daniel’s sister, Edna. Filbert often chauffeured his sister and Mabel to their jobs at Olmsted Air Force Base. Arbogast, a pilot, flew multiple missions over Europe before being shot down, captured and imprisoned in the Stalag Luft III concentration camp.
Happily, Mabel and Filbert Arbogast were married on December 1, 1984 in Louisville, Kentucky. This was a new chapter for both. They built a home on a lake in the beautiful wooded area known as Painted Hills in Martinsville, Indiana. They fished the lake, cruised in their pontoon boat, and raised beautiful vegetables and flowers on their spacious property. Mabel reignited her passion for music by playing piano, joining the Purdue Choir and broadcasting her extensive music collection all day long. Mabel and Filbert loved to travel and they especially enjoyed attending Filbert’s bombardier unit’s reunions throughout the U.S. and Europe. Mabel also enjoyed the company of the many women who were members of the Homemaker’s Club of Painted Hills.
Mabel and Filbert continued to thrive in their retirement years until Filbert passed away in June of 1997. Though Mabel was now alone in her retirement, she continued to carry on her love of travel, music, gardening, her feline pets and visiting family and friends.
In 2007, Mabel returned to Kentucky to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Sandra and George Creznic. She continued to enjoy excellent health and celebrated many birthdays and holidays with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Sadly, Mabel’s memory was fading due to the ravages of dementia. As the years passed, she slowly lost her connections to the faces and memories of her day to day life. However, she would continue to sing, smile and laugh, often singing all the verses of many songs from her youth and those she sung to her children. While physically strong and with enduring bodily health until the final weeks of her life, she became bed ridden and no longer exhibited the desire to sustain her physical life on Earth. However during the last week of life, our Mabel listened to her beloved Luciano Pavarotti and attempted to sing some of her favorite arias. She was also aware of and responded with her eyes and mouth to the sounds of birds chirping outside her bedroom window. Then, on Sunday morning, September 20, 2020, Mabel left us to join the heavenly choir with God.
Memorial donations can be made to Louisville Orchestra or Waterfront Botanical Gardens in memory of Mabel.
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