Mary Sayre Abel died on March 13, 2026, at her home in Salt Lake City, UT, surrounded by loving family. She was 98 years old.
Mary was born Nov. 4, 1927, in Indianapolis, IN, to Paul and Grace (Geyer) Sayre. She grew up in Iowa City, IA, and spent memorable summers at a family cabin in the mountains of New Mexico, where she learned to love horses, trail riding, and the American West.
She attended the University of Iowa, graduating with honors and a BA in elementary education in 1949. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and honorary scholastic fraternities Alpha Lambda Delta, Pi Lambda Theta, and Phi Beta Kappa. She earned an MA in English from Bowling Green State University in 1985.
In June of 1949, she married Arthur Abel of Anamosa, IA. They moved to Philadelphia, where she taught 4th grade for two years while Art finished his PhD. The Abels spent 15 years in Philadelphia and Clemson, SC, before moving to Bowling Green, OH, in 1964, where Art taught English at BGSU. In 1973, Mary returned to teaching, subbing in the Wood County schools before accepting a full-time position in 7th grade English and Social Studies at BGJHS, where she taught from 1978 until her retirement in 1993.
Mary loved reading, classical music, puzzles, card games, sports, dogs, biking and berry picking on the Slippery Elm Trail, and camping. During her 55 years in BG, Mary played county rec volleyball and softball, belonged to bridge clubs, volunteered for Wheeled Meals and poll work, and enjoyed many friendships in town.
In 1967, Mary convinced Art that they needed to explore the great outdoors through tent camping. Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada, was the first destination of many family camping trips over the decades. Mary mapped out the trips and did all the driving and cooking on visits to national and state parks throughout the US and Canada.
The family home on W. Wooster St. was a raucous gathering place for the far-flung Abel clan every Christmas, with 20+ people and multiple animals (dogs, cats, a bunny, and a turtle) descending on the “Bowling Green Ohio House.” Mary did all the planning, served home-cooked meals, and joyfully participated in games and sledding.
In 2020, Mary moved to the Ridge Foothill Senior Living in Salt Lake City to be near family (daughter Liz). In Utah, she enjoyed playing Scrabble and balloon badminton with friends she made. She loved attending U of U women’s volleyball and basketball games and going for daily walks in SLC’s municipal parks with Liz. Her out-of-state children visited frequently, to her great delight.
Mary, who said her greatest fear was inactivity, relished life and remained active until her final days. She was an inspiration to many.
Mary was preceded in death by Art, her husband of 64 years; sister Susan Sayre; brother Lombard Sayre; and grandson Nicolas Quintero. She is survived by six children: Susan (John Archer, d. 2024), Alfred (Colette Grossman-Abel), Margaret (José Quintero), Liz, Sarah (Stephen DeLuca), and Becky (John Coleman). Also surviving are six grandchildren: Sebastian Quintero, Benjamin Abel (Aubrey), Clara Abel, Grace Coleman, Samuel Coleman, and Cora Allen-Coleman.
Mary will be buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in a private ceremony. Donations may be made in her memory to the Wood County Humane Society (wchumane.org) or Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (suwa.org).
