Funeral Services for Retired Air Force Chief Warrant Officer James Albert Abel, 92, of Westlake will be held on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 2 PM in the Westlake United Methodist Church. Reverend Betty Northen, pastor of Westlake United Methodist Church, will officiate. Burial will be at Westlake Memorial Gardens following the funeral service. Visitation is from 3 PM to 7 PM on Saturday, December 12, 2009, at the Hixson Funeral Home on Highway 378 in Westlake. James Abel died on December 8, 2009 at Baton Rouge General Hospital. He is survived by seven children, James Alexander Abel, Roy Vincent Abel, Clara Abel Pitre, Emily Abel Wagner, Daniel Lester Abel, Janet Abel Fontenot, and Stephen Eugene Abel, 17 grand children, 10 great grand children, and his sister Eva Mae Lee. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Frances Alma Rholetter Abel, his parents, George and Emma Abel, and five brothers, Leland Raford Abel, Floyd Marshal Abel, Hollis Collier Abel, John Wesley Abel, Roy Kleiser Abel, and Robert Jessie Abel. He was born December 2, 1917, in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s and served in several CCC camps, including the one at Crater Lake, Oregon. He joined the US Army in 1941 prior to the Pearl Harbor attack. During World War II he served as a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in support of General Chenault in India. After WWII, he joined the US Air Force. His Air Force overseas service included Korea and Great Britain. He was stationed at Chenault Air Force Base in Lake Charles from1954 until 1962. While serving at Chenault Air Force Base, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from McNeese State University. After 26 years of combined service in the Army and Air Force he retired to Westlake, Louisiana. He was a long time member of the Westlake United Methodist Church where he served as an usher until August of 2009. He loved everybody. He enjoyed gardening and shared most of his produce with his friends and relatives. He also donated much of his produce to Helping Hands. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Pallbearers will be his grandsons, John Wagner of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Paul Pitre of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lance Pitre of Eunice, Louisiana, Robert Wagner of Atlanta, Georgia, Robert Abel of Aniston, Alabama, and Mike Abel of Lubbock, Texas.