SANBORNTON-----Judith Ann Payne Jones Abbott, 84, a long-time resident of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, died Saturday, April 20, 2019, at Lakes Region General Hospital, Laconia.
Born in South Bend, WA, Judi was proud of her service in the U. S. Navy prior to her settling down to raise her family in Virginia. She received her Associate in Science Degree from Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth, VA in 1976, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Guided by her deep faith in God, Judi’s faith journey led her from her birth into the Roman Catholic Church to her becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints where she served in the Relief Society as Ministering Sister and also as a Ward Missionary.
Active nearly all of her life, she loved tennis and enjoyed hiking, bird-watching, and gardening. Her love of books was evident every day. Her first vote in 1956 was something she recalled with great pride and she never missed a chance to exercise that right.
Judi loved her community and served for many years on numerous committees at the Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC. She was a long-time member of the Sanbornton Harmony Grange where she held several offices. She was very proud that when the National Grange was founded in 1867 it made history by admitting women on an equal footing with men.
She had a passion for travel and journeyed to six continents including the distant shores of Tasmania (Australia) and the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa).
A fierce lover and protector of animals, especially dogs, Judi devoted her later years to rescuing as many abandoned or neglected dogs as she could. She has helped save the lives and find forever homes for hundreds of dogs.
Judi leaves her husband of 40 years, William Abbott, her children David Jones, Danny Jones, Mary Magness, Elizabeth Price, Sara Berry, and Cameron Repass, 21 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren, brother John Payne and sister Gerry Brabos. She is dearly missed by her godchildren, Susan Stearns, and Charlie and Benjamin Steiger, and her many friends and extended family, including nephew and his wife, Bruce and Berit Landeg. Judi was predeceased by her parents, Raymond and Kathryn (Weeks) Payne and her siblings, Richard Payne, Mike Payne, and Carol Medak.
There will be no calling hours.
A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1244 Old North Main Street, Laconia, NH.
A Graveside Service will be held on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, Boscawen, NH.
Judi believed each of us could make a difference. In lieu of flowers, Judi can best be honored by donating to a library, animal shelter or the Sanbornton Harmony Grange for The Judi Abbott Dog Rescue Fund, adopting an animal, or voting to protect the democracy she cherished.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.