Rachel Lee Jones Abbott, of Midland, passed away on February 2, 2018. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 PM Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Chapel. Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at St. Stephens Catholic Church located at 4601 Neely Ave., Midland, TX 79707.Rachel was born on February 25, 1927 in Houston, TX, the sixth of thirteen children of Scrapps Sr. and Gladys Jones. Rachel was raised in Houston where she graduated from St. Agnes Academy High School.Rachel married the love of her life, Gene, on April 12, 1950 and devoted the next 65 years of her existence to honoring their union with pure, unconditioned love. Rachel and Gene raised seven children together and Rachel made it her most prominent life’s purpose to maintain the Abbott household with a seemingly limitless capacity to love, nurture and compassionately care for her family.Rachel is known by those whose lives she touched as a warmhearted, considerate, and generous wife, mother, and friend whose passion for life and love of family were prominently exhibited by her words and actions in daily life. Rachel’s selfless giving of her time and talents to provide her family with an immutably nurturing and deeply enriching home enabled her and Gene to flourish as life partners and to consummate their legacy of lifetime giving through the gifting of their Midland residence, where they loved and cherished each other and each of their children for over 40 years, to a deserving local charitable organization.Rachel’s physical presence, and especially her infectious smile, will be missed by all who were fortunate to know her, but her irrepressible spirit will live forever. She is most fondly remembered by her family as a perpetual source of unconditional love and captivating lightheartedness, and Rachel’s friends remember her as a delightful soul and fierce bridge competitor. Words simply cannot express the deepness of the love and appreciation that her children feel for her absolute devotion to their comfort and happiness.The Abbott family wishes to express our gratitude to Mrs. Brenda Nickell for her steadfast dedication to Mom’s comfort and contentment.We kindly ask that, in lieu of flowers, you please make donations to St. Ann’s Catholic School or Helping Hands of Midland Inc.Rachel was preceded in death by her husband Gene, and son Harland Eugene III, parents Gladys and Scrapps Jones, Sr.; brothers Msgr. Jack Jones; Don Jones; Scrapps Jones, Jr.; Richard Jones; and Louis Jones; sisters Jane Appling Devine; Ann Guidry; Mary Takacs; and Lucina Musselman. Rachel is survived by her sons Jack Abbott (Terri), John Abbott (Shailete), and Mike Abbott (Sarah), her daughters Carol Shumate (Gene), Patty Hodgens (Tim), and Jan Matchus (Tom), sister, Ramah Briganti (Frank), brother Robert Jones (Betty), sisters-in-law Cyrilla Jones, Anne Jones, 13 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Midland. Online condolences can be made at www.npwelch.com.,
