Reverend Emerson M. Abbott, 80, a retired minister of Roanoke, Virginia, went to be with the Lord on April 2, 2007. After a valiant battle for several years, Reverend Abbott, a great preacher, pastor, and Christian Leader with the Church of God, succumbed to congestive heart and renal failure. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, the former Kathryn Dize of Crisfield, Maryland; their two daughters, Sharon and Reid Morgan of Greer, South Carolina, Michelle and Mark Tozier of Roanoke, Virginia; two granddaughters, Kathryn Aprille Morgan and Matthew Tobey of Salem, Virginia, Adrianna Rose Tozier of Roanoke, Virginia; and one great-granddaughter, Morgan Elyse Tobey of Salem, Virginia. He is also survived by four sisters, Elizabeth and Edwin Tull of Harrington, Delaware, Emily Cook of Kokomo, Indiana, Etta Hastings of Laurel, Delaware; and Delma Bowden of Laurel, Delaware; six brothers: Clarence, Jr., of Crisfield, Maryland, Fred and NeIl of Salisbury, Maryland, Samuel and Shirley of Cleveland, Tennessee, Lloyd and Doris of Bedford, Pennsylvania, Bill and Jan of Atlantic, Virginia, and David and Linda of Phoenix, Arizona; as well as many nieces and nephews. The Reverend Emerson Abbott was the son of the late Reverend Clarence J., Sr., and Lola Abbott of Bridgeville, Delaware. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by one sister, Norma Caldwell of Pocomoke, Maryland. Emerson Marcellus Abbott was born December 2, 1926 in Cambridge, Maryland. After serving as Radioman for the Coast Guard in World War II, he married his childhood sweetheart Kathryn Dize, who graduated from Crisfield High School Class of '43. They began their full-time ministry for the Church of God, with pastorates in Phoenix (Jacksonville) and Ft. Mead (Odenton), Maryland. Their leadership has been far-reaching---with pastorates in Parshall, North Dakota; Baltimore, Maryland; Milford, Delaware; and, Alexandria and Pulaski, Virginia. In addition to his appointments to Indiana and the DelMar Va. Peninsula, as the State Christian Education and Youth Director, Reverend Abbott was appointed Administrative Bishop for the states of Northern New England, Missouri, Michigan and Tennessee. He has served on several national committees for the Church of God, including State Councils, the General Radio and Television Board, the General Publications Board, and the General Study Task Force. A viewing will be held at the Penn Forest Church of God in Roanoke, Virginia, on Wednesday, April 3, 2007 from 6 to 9 p.m. Another viewing will be held in Crisfield, Maryland at the Bradshaw Funeral Home on Friday, April 6, 2007 from 6 to 9 p.m. Funeral Services will be conducted at the Crisfield Church of God on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 2 p.m. Reverend Dr. Michael Baker and Reverends Philip Morris and Harold Bowman will officiate. Interment will follow in Sunny Ridge Memorial Park Cemetery.
Published in the Roanoke Times from 4/3/2007 - 4/5/2007.