Josephine "Jo" Rabel

Josephine (Slover) Rabel, 95, formerly of Abington Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Jo was born on April 2, 1929, in Brooklyn NY to parents Harry and Anna Slover. The family moved to Huntington NY when she was young, and she had many fond memories of growing up there with her three sisters, Ann (Toots), Gladys, and Marilyn. One of her proudest memories as a child was going door to door collecting scrap metal for the war effort. Jo was an avid reader, and one of her favorite things to do when she arrived home from school each day was to climb to the top of the tallest tree she could find with a book and read until it began to get dark.
After finishing school, Jo worked in New York City as a bookkeeper at the Equitable Life Assurance Company and really enjoyed the glamour and bustle of the city. She met the love of her life, Joseph Rabel, a charming young navy sailor, on a blind date. They quickly became a devoted couple, and their signature song became "Let Me Call You Sweetheart". They corresponded daily during his various deployments on the USS Grand Canyon, including many trips to the Mediterranean with the sixth fleet, and, in 1962, to Cuba as part of the US Naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After Jo's death, her children discovered boxes of letters that Joe had written to her from various locations around the world. They had never realized what a romantic flair their father had!
Jo and Joe were married in 1951 and raised three children, Ann, Joseph Jr. and Harrison in the town of Abington MA. They were extremely devoted parents and worked tirelessly to provide any and all opportunities for their kids. A longtime family joke was that Josephine, who was not fond of animals despite living in a family of animal lovers, found herself as the primary caretaker of a large menagerie of pets, including a pony, multiple cats and dogs, a rabbit, parakeets, and a large iguana. Her family suspected that deep down she was an animal lover too, despite her protests to the contrary.
Being a mother was one of the most important aspects of Jo's life. In addition, she loved antiquing, tending her beautiful garden, reading, and spending time at the family summerhouse in Kinderhook New York. They had a wonderful life together until Joe's untimely death in 1981 at only 52 years of age.
After Joe's death, Josephine returned to work as a bookkeeper for several local companies. She never fully recovered from the grief of losing her husband, but in later years her four grandchildren gave her great joy.
Josephine was predeceased by her parents; her three sisters Ann, Gladys, and Marilyn; her husband Joe; and her son Joe Jr. She is survived by her daughter Ann (Bob) Dwyer of Norwell MA; son Harrison (Betsy) Rabel of Taunton MA; her four grandchildren Emily and Joe Dwyer, and Charlie and Ben Rabel; and her nephews Jeffrey, James, Keith, Todd and Patrick Magill.
As per Josephine's wishes, no funeral service will be held. Her ashes will be buried alongside her beloved husband and son. A Memorial Service to honor her life will be held in the spring.
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