Esther Abney Carmitchel

Esther Abney Carmitchel, age 91 of Northbrook (formerly of Kankakee), passed away Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the Northbrook Inn Memory Care Community, Northbrook, IL. She was born on December 28, 1931, in Carterville, IL, the daughter of Ernest and Nova (Holman) Rice. A loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Esther was devoted to her family. She was married to John “Jack” Carmitchel from 1951 to 1961, to Gail “Gus” Abney from 1962 until his death in 1982, and then to Jack Carmitchel again from 2003 until his death in 2014. Esther retired from Kankakee Community College in 1996 as a secretary for the Vocational Education Division. She also worked in Kankakee District 111 at Steuben Elementary and Edison Elementary Schools as well as in the Personnel Office. She began her career at the Payne-Stotler Grain Company. Esther was an active member of the Central Christian Church, first when it was located in Kankakee and later when the new church was built in Bourbonnais. She later resided in Springfield, Illinois and St. Charles, Missouri. A passionate quilter, Esther founded a group that taught younger women to quilt in Springfield, Illinois. Surviving are three sons and daughters-in-law: Andrew (Martha) Carmitchel of Lake St. Louis, MO, Bruce (Jan) Carmitchel of Lincoln, John (Ruth) Abney of Menominee, WI; two daughters and sons-in-law, Linda (Gary) Yonke of Northbrook, Nancy (Javier) Pozo of Overland Park, KS; four sisters, Dorothy Randall of Grayson, GA, Marilyn Farrar of Oshkosh, WI, Ella Jean Willard of Kankakee, Linda Burba of Flint, MI; one brother and sister-in-law, Keith (Judy) Rice of Maryville, TN; fifteen grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren; and two great great grandchildren. Esther is preceded in death by her parents; her husbands; two brothers, Ernest “Dean” Rice and Phillip Rice; two sisters, Jane Vasey and Ruth Hayson; and one grandson, Nicholas Carmitchel. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at Clancy-Gernon Funeral Homes, Bourbonnais. A funeral service will be at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 17, 2023, at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Kankakee Memorial Gardens, Kankakee. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org

Esther Abney Carmitchel

December 28, 1931 - July 12, 2023