Jon Francis Abels, 86 years old of Custer South Dakota, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, December 28th, 2020, in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Jon is survived by his daughters, Suzannah (Robert) Lloyd, and Joannah (Derek) Tornow; grandchildren, Robert Lloyd, Samantha (Evan) Kleinpaste, Jon (Monica) Lloyd, Ali (August) Schaefbauer, Theodore Tornow, and Kylie Tornow; great-grandchildren Robert and Jackson Lloyd, and Cody and Evelyn Kleinpaste. Jon is also survived by first cousin turned brother Tom Steinbeck of Sioux City, IA, and the State of Texas. He is preceded in death by Beverly, his beloved wife of 56 years, his parents, and his sister, Marian Prindiville of Clovis, CA.

Jon was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 11, 1934. He grew up with his younger sister, Marian, and his parents, Johann Friedrich and wife Frances. Jon was raised in Eastern South Dakota and graduated from high school in Alexandria, MN. Jon attended South Dakota State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1956. After graduation, Jon worked for Dupont in Wilmington, DE and attained the rank of Senior Purchasing Agent. Jon met the love of his life, Beverly Naramore, in 1959. Jon and Beverly were married in 1960, and lived together happily with their two daughters. Jon retired from DuPont in 1992, and moved with Beverly to Custer, SD. Jon enjoyed shooting guns, participating in the local NRA, motorcycle and four-wheeler tours through the Black Hills, telling colorful jokes, and spending time with his family.

Jon was well-known for his humor, mostly because it was so inappropriate. His family said he just didn’t have a social filter. Jon also never met a stranger in his life, and he was often found chatting with some woman or man he stopped in the mall or at the stock show. He especially liked to tell his inappropriate jokes to these non-strangers! This got him into some trouble once his Alzheimer’s disease led him to become even more social with people he wanted to know.

Jon is also remembered for his home-made shooting range he set up in his backyard in Custer, to the chagrin of his neighbors. He taught all his grandkids to shoot BB guns off his deck at old soda cans stuck to the barbed-wire fence. He also instilled a deep hatred towards woodpeckers (or flickers, as he referred to them) which loved to build nests inside the cedar siding of his house. Gun safety was a passion of his and led him to be actively involved with the Southern Hills National Rifle Association chapter.

His family will always remember his love of junk food, especially ice cream, peanuts, popcorn cookies, soda of all kinds, and other assorted sweets that he could never turn down. He also made the best “french-fried-potato-pie” for breakfast, often accompanied by French toast. It was a favorite of his grandkids, and they always requested it when they came to visit.

Jon is well-known for his colorful jokes and toasts, which he loved to share with anyone at all who would listen, regardless of time and place! One of his best ones, and his only family-friendly toast, was:

A bee may kiss a butterfly, a man may kiss his wife goodbye, sparkling wine may kiss a glass, and you my friend may kiss my a**. For more of Jon’s favorites, ask Jo or Suzie.

Jon will be missed dearly. His legacy is the love of his family.