By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
Abner William Straughan, 88, resident of Prattville, AL passed away on Friday, March 6, 2020.
From a very young age, Straughan was extremely active in his local communities. Born in New Orleans, Straughan joined the Boy Scouts of America where he found a love for hunting and fishing.
“My dad loved hunting and fishing so much. He had a place on Lake Jordan where we would go on the weekends to unwind. That was one of his safe havens,” said Straughan’s daughter, Laura Reid.
Straughan would graduate from Southwest Louisiana University with a degree in chemistry before moving to Mississippi, where he would meet his wife, Sue.
“On their first date together, Dad took mom out fishing at a pond where they had to wear weighted boots. He said she got stuck in the mud and couldn’t get out, so he basically had to go over and save her. He thought it went terribly, but when he got home, she immediately called him and asked when they would go out for another date,” Reid said laughing.
After they married, Abner and Sue moved to Prattville in 1969.
He held several jobs, the first being for Ingalls Shipyard, where we worked on nuclear submarines. He did that for four and half years before working in a lab for the General Services Administration. He was then transferred to another division where he was a quality assurance inspector for 22 years.
He was involved with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program for 30 years, which is an organization that helps to assist members of the community in various ways.
One of the ways he helped the community was his work at Lanark, where Alabama Wildlife Federation is located in Millbrook.
“He went and helped out at Lanark for probably around a decade,” said Reid’s husband, Dave. “Fishing was one of his biggest loves, so he wanted to go out there and teach the children how to cast properly, etc. He told us that he would tell the kids that it’s okay to touch the fish, which would always make him laugh.”
Moreover, Abner was a sports fanatic. LSU was his favorite team, and he enjoyed playing community softball as well.
“Dad said he always loved to pitch and play first base,” said his son, Bill Straughan. “He played softball for the longest time before his hips told him it was time to hang it up.”
He was also part of the Meals on Wheels Program, which helps to address senior isolation and hunger. Their mission is to empower local community programs to improve the health and quality of life of the seniors they serve.
Above all, Straughan was an extremely devoted Catholic. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Prattville for 51 years, and was part of their charitable organization, the Knights of Columbus. In 2011, he was awarded Knight of the Year by their chapter.
Mr. Straughan was the type of person that loved to tell stories. He frequently called into Elmore/Autauga News and loved to tell the staff about his plants.
“He had been gardening for decades, but when we bought him a greenhouse for Christmas one year, it really took off,” said Laura Reid. “Everything was not always growing in the greenhouse, but I went in there the other day and found a single strawberry. He would have bragged that he was the first person to get a strawberry grown in Prattville,” she said smiling.
Abner was a good man who cared about everyone and everything. During the last year of his life, Straughan got a Black Lab who he named ‘Lou’.
“He loved that dog. It kept him company and protected him every step of the way,” said Dave Reid.
Straughan was buried on March 12 in Wiggins Cemetery in Wiggins, MS. Although he is gone from this Earth, his legacy will live on. He will live on through all who knew and loved him. The EAN is proud to be among that group.
