Adele E Bishop

Adele Edna Bishop, 103, went home to be with her Lord on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from the home in which she was born in Abilene, Kansas, on December 6, 1921. Adele was preceded in death by her parents George and Edna Kugler Bischoff, her husband, one brother, two sisters, and one son. Her life will continue to have an eternal influence because she lived for the world to come.
After graduating from Chapman High School in 1940, Adele taught in a 2-room schoolhouse before going on to receive a degree in Home Economics at Kansas State University in Manhattan. While at K-State, she was invited to a Campus Crusade meeting where she realized that though she had been raised in a Christian family, she had never trusted the Lord Jesus to forgive her sin and come into her heart. On that day, Adele was born again and began sharing the Good News with others. Soon after, her sister Georgine received new life at a similar meeting.
Adele followed the Lord's leading to further her education at Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute. She taught at a boarding school on the East Coast to raise the money for her education. While at Moody, Adele met her husband, Howard Bishop. Their similar last names allowed them to sit next to each other in class, to have adjacent mailboxes, and caused some people to mistake them for siblings.
Adele graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1949, and she and Howard were married in 1950. Their daughter Carol was born in Chicago, Illinois, before they traveled to Japan to serve as missionaries from 1952-1957. In Tokyo, Japan, Howard and Adele were blessed with twins, John and Rebekah, and later their son, Phil. Their youngest son, Tom, was born in Salina, Kansas.
Adele faithfully served the Lord as a pastor's wife in several churches including Buckeye Community Church in Abilene and Strasburg Baptist Church in Marion. Howard and Adele also served as local directors for Child Evangelism Fellowship. Adele took every opportunity she could to share her faith, and she especially enjoyed teaching children about the God who made them and loves them. She and her husband earnestly prayed for the salvation of their children and rejoiced to see each one trust Christ as his or her Savior.
In 1972, Howard and Adele returned to Abilene to care for Adele's father. After her children were grown, Adele worked with the elderly at Brown Memorial Home. She faithfully served the Lord at the Brethren in Christ Church in Abilene for many years until she and Howard joined Abilene Bible Baptist Church.
Bible verses that were special to her were Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." By God's grace, she lived a life of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Her testimony challenges us all to live for the glory of God.
Survivors include children Carol (Delmar) Schultz of Mountain Lake, Minnesota; Rebecca (Allen) Bush of Williamsburg, Kansas; Philip (Kitty) Bishop of Chisholm, Minnesota; Tom (Margaret} Bishop of Abilene, Kansas; beloved daughter-in-law Jean Bishop of Arkansas; 17 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at the Martin-Becker Funeral Home in Abilene. Adele's funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 31, at the Abilene Bible Baptist Church with Pastor Mike Raab officiating along with Pastor Stan Norman. Interment will follow in the Abilene Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to CEF of Kansas through the funeral home or at https://secure.etransfer.com/eft/flexblockcode/donation1.cfm?d2org=CEFKansas&d2tool=donate