Martha Jo Abel

Martha Jo Abel, 93, passed away June 29, 2026, at Home Suite Home in Derby, Kansas. She was born October 11, 1932, in Hutchinson, Kansas, to Nathan and Lourenda Rhodes.

Martha graduated from high school in Little River, Kansas in 1950, and attended McPherson College from 1950 to 1952. She then taught for two years in a country school in Rice County before earning her Bachelor of Science degree from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. She taught school in Kansas from 1952 to 1964 and went on to earn her Master of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. From 1965 until her retirement in 1993, she taught in Westminster, Colorado, completing a devoted teaching career of 41 years.

After retirement, Martha and her husband, George Abel, bought a fifth wheel and traveled all over the country, logging more than 70,000 miles between 1994 and 2005. She also gave generously of her time as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and as a Pink Lady at the hospital.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Abel; her parents; her sisters, Geneva and Anna Lou; and her son, Daniel Hofer.

She is survived by her granddaughter, April Vannoy (Chris); four great-grandchildren, Celeste, Aniston, Joseph, and Memphis; her niece, Linda Bode (John); her nephew, Kevin Wittorff (Janie); and her great-niece and great-nephews, Julie Cisneros, David Matzen, and Kyle Wittorff.

Burial will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery in Hutchinson, Kansas. A Celebration of Life will be held 1-3 PM, Saturday, August 8 at the community room in the Derby Library, 1600 Walnut Grove Rd, Derby, KS 67037.