Abel A. Hayes

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills"… This verse is from Psalm 121, read at the funerals of Abel Hayes, Sr. and Opal Hayes, father and mother of Abel Alexander Hayes. On June 3, 2017, Abel followed his parents to those hills. He died peacefully at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, MO with his family beside him.
Everyone who knew Abel knows that he probably traveled by train, if he had to go, because it seemed that ever since he was born at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka on December 17, 1948, Abel's love of the railroad was also born. Perhaps the only other ways for him to leave us would be if he could have traveled with his beloved KU Jayhawks for a never-ending basketball game or to go on a continuing performing tour with the original Temptations. Perhaps he would have enjoyed joining his precious German Shepherd, Caesar, for a long walk.
Abel graduated in 1966 from Highland Park High School in Topeka where he was a star basketball player. He attended Washburn University, the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois, where he completed his railroad engineering courses.
Abel started his railroad career at the Santa Fe Railway in 1967 where his father was a business car Chef. He started in the engineering department and eventually rose to division engineer. Abel had 46 years of experience in railroad engineering and retired from Amtrak in Los Angeles, CA in 2013. He worked as a surveyor, road master, design engineer, construction engineer, division engineer and manager -maintenance of way from Chicago to Los Angeles with many states and projects in between. One of his proudest and deeply felt moments was when he joined the Santa Fe engineering department as the son of Abel Hayes, Sr.
However, Abel would tell you that his greatest achievements, which brought him unspeakable pride and joy, were the births of his much beloved daughters, Michelle, Shannon and Sherrill, which he had with his first wife, Deborah Jean Jackson. He also said he had the true "magnificent seven", for he was blessed to be the younger brother of Lorna, Kathy and Melva. When he added his three daughters and his mother Opal, he felt he had seven magnificent women in his life. Deborah and Celia, his second wife, were "honorary", but still much loved and cherished members of this elite group.
Abel and Celia were married in 1996, enjoyed living in Los Angeles and were planning on retiring to Kansas City in a few years but when Abel became ill, they felt the only place they needed and wanted to be was closer to the children and grandchildren. Abel and Celia moved to Kansas City, MO in November 2016 and relished these six months with the family.
He leaves to cherish his memory his wife Celia; Deborah, his first wife, married twenty years; three daughters, Michelle (Michael), Shannon (Jeffrey) and Sherrill (Nick); three sisters, Lorna Arrington, Buffalo, NY, Kathryn Williams, Chicago, IL and Melva Watts, South Pasadena, CA and eight adored grandchildren, Sydney, Alexander, Vincent, Regan, Dominic, Eve, Mike and Aaron, as well as many treasured nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins and friends.
Abel will lie in state beginning at 8:00 a.m., Friday, June 9, 2017 at Penwell-Gabel Southeast Chapel, 2843 S.E. Minnesota, Topeka. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. with burial to follow in Penwell-Gabel Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to German Shepherd Rescue at RescueMe.org.
To share a memory with Abel's family, please visit the guestbook below.