Broussard- A Memorial Service celebrating the life of Joan Machin Ables, 89, will be held on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 11:00AM at David Funeral Home of Lafayette with the Very Reverend John W. Clark, Priest for Pastoral Care at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church of Lafayette, LA officiating. Mrs. Ables passed away on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at Camelot of Broussard Assisted Living in Broussard, LA. Mrs. Ables was born in Karachi India, now Pakistan, to British parents. She was the third child and the first daughter of six children. Her Father was a Sergeant Major in the British Army. At 18 she joined the Womens Auxiliary Air Force in 1941 and served during the World War II at Fighter Command Headquarters at Bentley Priory, Stanmore. From 1943 to 1945 she was stationed at Topcliffe " 6th Canadian Group Bomber Command. She served an additional three years following the war and was discharged in 1947. Her dream as a young girl was to become a nurse, and she was accepted into Saint Georges School of Nursing in London England in October of 1947, graduating in 1950. She went on to specialize in Midwifery at Chiswick Maternity Hospital also in London. Always the adventurer, in January of 1952, she sailed with her best friend to Canada on the Empress of France where she worked at a hospital in Toronto, eventually traveling west to a Canadian Red Cross Outpost Hospital in MacBride, British Columbia. It was at this location that she was introduced to William (Bill) Huson Ables of Cleveland, Texas. They were married on Christmas Day in 1952 at the First Methodist Church in Cleveland, Texas, and they would have been married 60 years this Christmas. During her life Mrs. Ables was always a dedicated nurse and started one of the first Visiting Nurse Associations in the early seventies in Conroe, Texas. She was honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution and awarded the citizens award for her dedicated work and community service as a foreign born nurse. She was also instrumental in establishing the first hospice in Lafayette, Louisiana and served on the board of Hospice of Acadiana in the early eighties. She was the beloved mother of four children, three daughters and one son, the grandmother of eleven grandchildren and one great grandson, and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, William H. Ables of Broussard, LA; daughters, Shelley Ables Lakes and her husband, Dan of Apex, NC and Lesley Ables Baudoin of Youngsville, LA, son, William K. Kim Ables and his wife, Elizabeth of Youngsville, LA, daughter, Glynis Ables Cerro and her husband Eric of Louisville, KY; grandson, Zachary Webster and his wife Elizabeth of Lexington, KY; great-grandson, Jackson Webster also of Lexington, KY; grandson, Evan Webster of Apex, NC; granddaughters, Carly Lakes of Apex, NC, Katie Hitchcock Villarroel of Youngsville, LA, Sarah Hitchcock Langley and her husband Lyle of Metairie, LA; grandsons, Nicholas Baudoin of Youngsville, LA, Alistair Schexneider of Lafayette, LA, Andrew Schexneider and Aaron Schexneider both of Louisville, KY, Benjamin Ables and Samuel Ables both of Youngsville, LA; two sisters, Eileen Machin Whiteman and husband Keith, and Dorothy Machin Geary and one sister-in-law, Rita Machin all of England. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander McAllister Machin and Harriett Churchill Machin; her three brothers, Alexander Machin, Frank Machin, Cecil (Dick) Machin, a nephew Stephen Machin, a niece Beverly Geary Roe, and brother-in-law, George Geary. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all those who cared for her in the last three years of her life, especially the staff of Camelot of Broussard Assisted Living and Hospice of Acadiana. Our family will be forever grateful to you all. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, (337) 984-3848, 400 Camellia Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70503, or Hospice of Acadiana, (337) 232-1234, 2600 Johnston Street, Suite 200, Lafayette, LA 70503 or online at www.hospiceacadiana.com. David Funeral Home of Lafayette, LA (337) 837-9887, 316 Youngsville Hwy. Lafayette, LA 70508 is in charge of the arrangements.
