CDR Robert F. Abels was born to the parents of John and Nelly Abels on November 18, 1926, in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The oldest of two brothers, Robert was raised by his grandmother and aunt.  They moved to Miami, Florida in 1936 where he graduated from Edison High School in June 1944.  He joined the  the US Navy that same year in September and served on PT Boat 106 as a Radar Operator during WWII.  In March, 1946 he was accepted for the Naval Flight Training Program.  He received his Wings and Commission from the US Navy in 1949, and joined the fleet as a fighter pilot.  He flew F4U Corsairs,  F8F Bearcats, and AD Skyraiders from the decks of 18 different Aircraft Carriers, completing over 150 carrier landings.  He was also a Landing Signal Officer for 6 years.  He was deployed to three combat tours to Korea and two to Vietnam.  On the second tours to Vietnam, he served for one year on General Westmoreland's staff as Deputy, Air Plans and Ops in J-3, utilizing the B-52s.  Director of Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School for 2 years and retired as Executive Officer, Naval Aviation Schools Command, Pensacola, Florida in November 1969.  He received numerous citations including: Bronze Star, Vietnam; two Air Medals - Korea; two Navy Commendations Medals, the Korean Medal + 7 Stars, the Vietnam Service Mdal + 4 Stars, United Nations Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

On February 29, 1952 while stationed in San Diego, he met the love of his life, Shirley M. Larsen.  They were married on May 31, 1953.  They had three sons: Robert Jr., who was with US Customs; Steven, a Hazmat Truck Driver and Richard (Melissa) who was a California Highway Patrol Officer.

After retiring, CDR Abels received his Master's Degree in Finance from The University of West Florida.  He then moved back to San Diego in 1971.  He became a school teacher in the Grossmont Union High School District for 17 years and concurrently an enrolled agent assisting the public in income tax preparation.  He retired completely in 2004.

CDR Abels was preceded in death by Shirley, his wife of 57 years.  He was also preceded in death by his younger brother, Richard Abels.  CDR Abels is survived by his three sons and 3 granddaughters; Allison, Katelyn and Kristen.

A memorial service with military honors will be held at 2pm Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at Poway-Bernardo Mortuary in Poway, CA.  Inurnment will take place at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at a later date.