Joseph L. Abbott M.D.

1928 - 2016

Joseph L. Abbott, M.D. of Newtown Square Joseph L. Abbott, M.D, retired Obstetrician/Gynecologist of Newtown Square, Pa., died on March 10, 2016 after illnesses related to dementia. He was the high school sweetheart and beloved husband of 63 years of Bernardine “Bunny” (Keeler) Abbott, devoted father of six children: Eva Abbott (Van Temple), Louis C. Abbott, D.M.A, (Paola Iuspa), Theresa A. Gale, Andrew F. Abbott, and William L. Abbott (Kathleen). His oldest son Joseph L. Abbott, Jr. predeceased him in 2010. Joe is also predeceased by his parents Harry J. Abbott and Eva Liza (Legasse) Abbott; his stepmother, Frances Lane Abbott; and his brother Francis H. Abbott. Joe loved the beach in Stone Harbor, N.J, and Jupiter Fla. with his 13 grandchildren: Kathy, Molly, Keren, JJ, Billy, Patrick, Nicole, Mary T, Megan, Bryan, Rachel, Christine and Bernardine Luna. He is also survived by three sisters: Gertrude Seal, Harriet Byrnes and Patricia Maggitti, and by his longtime brother-in-law/friend Louis L. Keeler, MD (Morrie McDermott Keeler). Additionally, Joe is survived by many nieces and nephews from the large Abbott and Keeler families. Through over 40 years in medical practice, we add to this list of extended family the 8,000 plus babies he helped birth into this world, an even longer list of beloved patients tended to with diligence and compassion, nurses whom Joe greatly respected, the staff members of Chester County OB/GYN and Chester County Hospital, and all of his physician colleagues, especially his esteemed partners in private practice. At age six, Joe declared to his Aunt Mabel Kelly that he would become a doctor, and so began the long academic journey toward that arduous goal. Joe attended St. Cyril’s elementary school in East Lansdowne where among other disciplines, he learned cursive writing which forever endeared him to pharmacists, etc. Joe moved on to West Catholic High School from which he graduated in l946 with the distinction of being named The Class Member Most Likely to Succeed. Remaining a loyal alumnus for life, Joe credited the Christian Brothers with many of his gentlemanly attributes. Joe studied pre-med at St. Joseph’s University where he earned a BS Degree in Biology in 1950. As he struggled to master organic chemistry and German, he was also enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and spent summers at training camps in Georgia. He passed on to his children and grandchildren a love of intellectual challenges and Jesuit education. In 1950, Joe was admitted to Jefferson Medical College where he was a diligent student, so proficient in study and in note-taking that he never “crammed” the night before a test. After completing his second year at “Jeff,” Joe and Bunny were married. He then moved on to complete junior and senior Internships at Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby, Pa. In 1954, Joe entered the USAF Medical Corps, serving for two years as family physician/OB/GYN to hundreds of airmen and families at the Air Force base in Blytheville, Arkansas. With a wife and three children, Joe returned to Misericordia Hospital, Philadelphia in 1957 to enter residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. This required spending one year of surgical training at the University of Pennsylvania, plus three years of clinical practice under supervision of Chief of Department at Misericordia. At age 32, in 1961, with five children in tow, and number six on the way, Joe and family moved to West Chester, Pa. and Joe hung out his official Joseph L. Abbott M.D. sign on High Street, commencing years of private practice. He was Board Certified in 1965 and recertified in 1978. In time he joined another single practitioner, Sidney Rabin, M.D, and together they built the large practice that is known today as Chester County OB/GYN. Across his medical career in Chester County, Joe practiced at Chester County Hospital, Paoli Memorial Hospital, Mercy Medical Hospital serving at various times as Chief of Staff and Chief of Ob/GYN. He was a fellow in the American College OB/GYN and the Society of Reproductive Medicine, member of A.M.A. and AMA PA Medical Society, member of the Association of Christian Therapists, board member and President of St. Agnes Catholic Church Parish Council, and board member at St. Martha and St. Mary’s Manor Nursing Homes. Joe retired in 1996. In retirement, he helped to found, and served for ten years at Community Volunteers in Medicine, in West Chester, a volunteer medical/dental clinic for working poor families of Chester County. Joe enjoyed many years of world traveling with his wife and reading biographies. He was a movie connoisseur (and rightly so since he worked throughout college as a movie projectionist and stage hand). Joe listened to Big Band Music and especially his idol, Frank Sinatra. He enjoyed playing tennis and living by the ocean in Florida in winters. In his later years, he and Bunny reveled in their interesting life at White Horse Village, a continuing care retirement community in Newtown Square. A kind and modest fellow, Joe loved most of all relaxing at home surrounded by his large and loving family. A viewing is planned for Thursday, March 17 at 10:15 a.m. followed by a Mass at 12:30 p.m. at SS. Simon & Jude Church, 8 Cavanaugh Court, West Chester, PA 19382; Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545) or the Chester County Hospital Foundation (707 E. Marshall St., West Chester, PA 19380). Arrangements by DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. of West Chester, PA 610-696-1181; www.DellaFH.com.