Margaret Louise Abel Slusher

Margaret Louise Abel SLUSHER Margaret Louise Abel Slusher was born in Chehalis, Washington on January 20, 1920 to Marian and Don G. Abel, who later was a Washington State Supreme Court Justice. She and her brother Don G. Abel Jr. were the first recorded twins born in Lewis County. Maggie was a lifelong Washingtonian. She died on February 26, 2010. Survivors are her sonRoss D. Kennedy, M.D. and wife Ruth, M.D. son Reid L. Kennedy, three grandchildren Erin (Jeff), Ross Jr., (Nicole), and Amy, D.C., and four great-grandchildren Nathan, Andrew, William, Camryn, brother-in-law, Edwin Colby, nephew Ralph Colby, P.h.D., nephew Steve Abel (Marie) niece Shelly Abel McIntyre (Scott, M.D.). Maggie was preceded in death by her younger sister, Janice Abel Colby, brother Don Jr. and great-grandson Ross D. Kennedy III. Maggie grew up in Seattle graduating from Garfield HS. While at Garfield she met Jess Kennedy whom she later married and had two sons, Ross and Reid. Early in her life she lived in Chehalis, Centralia, and Olympia. Later, Maggie met Francis Marion Slusher and then lived in Mercer Island and Bellevue. Upon his death she moved to Parkshore. Maggie loved the Lord with all her heart. She was a lifelong Christian starting as a Scotch Presbyterian but mostly as an Episcopalian attending St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bellevue (Medina) for many years. Not withstanding her choice of religion, Maggie was always very ecumenical believing that people should celebrate their differences and that there were many ways to the Lord. She She rejoiced in the love of God and said that the holy trinity is my life. Her favorite foods were (in this order) crab, salmon, and hotdogs. She loved the singing of Sammy Davis JR. Of the so-called Rat Pack, he was her favorite. Maggie had a passion for lighthouses and visited them whenever she could. At the age of 70 Maggie moved into the Parkshore Retirement Home on Lake Washington where she spent her remaining years. She treated both employees and residents with equal respect. Maggie made a special effort to get to know all employees by name and was loved and respected by them. One of her great pleasures was to visit and comfort those residents with Alzheimer's and other ailments. She would hold their hands and sing to them and upon leaving tell them that "God loves you and I do too". Her very gentle, loving nature put people at ease. They knew they were loved. For years she made annual trips to Boston to visit her sister Janice and brother-in-law Edwin Colby. One of her favorite sojourns there was to go to the historic north end and visit Paul Revere's house. Her brother in law was a big lobster fisherman and she ate lobster until she couldn't stand the sight of it. In recent years, one of Maggie's favorite activities was to go to the nearby park with her granddaughter Erin and two great-grand children Nathan and Andrew. She so loved to watch Nathan and Andrew and the other tots play on the slides and swings. She was very proud of her grandson Ross Jr. who is the 9th lawyer in the family. Maggie enjoyed spending time with her other granddaughter Amy when visiting in the Los Angeles area and during many phone calls. Maggie prominently displayed pictures of all her great grandchildren around her home. They were all loved unconditionally. Now that she has finished the race, she is totally and completely surrounded by the love of Jesus. The family is very grateful for the blessing she was to us. Any donations may be made to the Dystonia Foundation of America.