Lymon Junior Abbott was born on September 1, 1945 and departed this life Monday, February 7, 2022 at his home, surrounded by family, reaching the age of 76 years. He was son to the late Andrew Ellis and Velma Lois (Zimmerman) Abbott.

Lymon grew up in the Toler's Ridge community of Wayne County, where he had many fond (often mischievous) childhood memories with his siblings, Mary, Joyce, Delbert.

That fun-loving, carefree disposition followed him into his teenage years and early adulthood, when he charmed the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with. On July 4, 1966, he married Donna Foley, and to this union three children were born; Robin, Beth, and Jennifer.
During these days, he worked as a road grader for the Kentucky Department of Highways, and later in telephone construction for various contractors in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma. In his free time he enjoyed having a good time with friends, camping with his family at Dale Hollow Lake, and hunting deer, squirrels, and rabbits. Later, that love of hunting turned in to a love of fishing; a hobby to last a lifetime.

What Lymon is perhaps going to be remembered most for however, is the love he had for his grand-children, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He loved babies, and so with each new addition to the family, his heart grew softer and softer. He always looked forward to visits, and often got down in the floor to play with the children. He especially got a kick out of surprising little ones by popping his false teeth in and out, which always resulted in either giggles, or a very stumped expression. He was often heard either whistling or singing silly songs with made up rhymes, and he loved making up nicknames for everyone, some of which included his grandchildren; Oodie Mae (Latosha), Jake (Rusty), and Bribannie (Brianna). It's only fair though, because Latosha gave him the name Bum, which stuck, affectionately of course!

Aside from these memories that many have of him, each grandchild has a special memory they hold close to their hearts. He'd always sneak a bite of food before meals were ready to share with Latosha when no one was looking. Brianna loved it when he'd put her to sleep by gently brushing a twisted up tissue across her face, or telling her stories of The River Monster when she refused to fall asleep. Rusty cherishes the friendship he had with Bum, not only by reminiscing of good times over a cigarette or a drink, but also in sharing the love of fishing. Bum could tell you where every stump and rock was in the lake, and he could remember exactly where he caught every fish. He often told Donna how he had gotten to pass down his secrets to Rusty, and he had hoped he'd be able to do the same for his great-grandson Aiden someday. They never got to go fishing together, but they did share special hobbies as well. Bum passed along his love of coin-collecting to Aiden, as well as his knack for drawing rabbits. His great-granddaughter, Audrey, always made his day and loved visiting. She says her favorite thing to do with Bum was playing peek-a-boo, or as Bum said, Peep Pie.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Abbott; three daughters, Robin Vaughn, Beth Gregory, and Jennifer Duncan; one son-in-law, Allen Vaughn; three grandchildren, Latosha Gregory, Rusty Bell, and Brianna Vaughn; and two great-grandchildren, Aiden Vaughn and Audrey Reimer. He is also survived by: two sisters, Mary Kuhn and Joyce Eaton; and one brother, Delbert Abbott; along with many family and friends who will miss him dearly.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by: one grandchild, Whitney Bell; one brother, Bobby Joe Abbott, both of whom passed away as infants, as well his son-in-law, Wayne Gregory, who he missed greatly. We know he is once again reunited with them, and many other friends and family lost along the way.

The family will receive friends on Monday, February 14, 2022 between 11 am – 1 pm in the chapel of the funeral home.  Funeral services will be held Monday, February 14, 2022 at 1 pm at the Hicks-Vaughn Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in the Elk Spring Cemetery.

Hicks-Vaughn Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements.