William Paul Abbott

William Paul Abbott (age 96) finished his earthly life and entered his eternal reward on May 20, 2023. He left behind his son Richard Neil Abbott and his youngest sister Martha Jane Carter – along with numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, cousins, in-law relatives, and friends – all of whom he loved very dearly. Paul also left behind former co-workers and friends from his career within the apparel manufacturing business, along with three colleagues and friends – Katie Ingersoll, Mary Bryant, and Amy Reed – who worked with his late wife Lorraine in a technical communications company that Paul helped Lorraine create. Paul and Lorraine were also survived by long-time neighbors Sue and Carolyn Wilson and by the many friends they made through their membership in Cedar Lane United Methodist Church (formerly Inskip UMC).

Paul was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Lorraine Yvonne Swift Abbott, and by his parents, William Peter Abbott and Lucy Jane Davis Abbott, by his oldest sister Dorothy Abbott Boswell, and by three brothers, Kenneth Kyle Abbott, James Howard Abbott, and Richard Lewis Abbott.

Paul was born on June 20, 1926, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up during the great Depression living for periods of time in both Blount and Knox Counties. Shortly after graduating from high school in Blount County, he entered active service in the Navy in May 1944, where he served during the latter part of World War II as a naval radioman stationed in the Philippine Islands.

After Paul’s honorable discharge from the Navy in May 1946, he enrolled in Maryville College on the G.I. Bill. It was there that he met Lorraine. They both said that they fell in love at first sight. They married in May 1948, and remained in a committed and loving relationship until Lorraine’s death in June 2021. Not long after their marriage, Paul transferred to the University of Tennessee, where he graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics in 1956. He also pursued post graduate studies in advanced statistics, quality control, and advanced business statistics.

Prior to graduating from college and for a couple of years after graduation, Paul worked as a statistical analyst for the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). A few years after that, he began a long-term career focusing on management, quality control, and continuous improvement within the apparel industry. For the last eight years of his career ending in 1991, he served as the President of Summit Apparel Corporation in Knoxville.

Paul and Lorraine joined Inskip Methodist Church (now Cedar Lane UMC) in 1952, and they both remained part of that congregation until their deaths. For many years Lorraine was also a member of the board of directors of Partners for Children, a nonprofit child development center currently located at Cedar Lane. Paul was a strong supporter of both the church and Partners for Children, and accordingly, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, gifts be given in Paul’s memory to either Cedar Lane United Methodist Church or Partners for Children, Inc., both of which are located at 714 Cedar Lane, Knoxville, TN 37912. A graveside service will be held at the Pavilion of Grandview Cemetery in Maryville, TN, at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 26, 2023. A celebration of life service will be held at Cedar Lane UMC at a later date.

Paul Abbott believed in the importance of resilience and continuous improvement in every aspect of life. He looked for ways to help almost everyone he encountered. He had a belief in progress founded on his constant hope that, with effort and with God’s help, each of us could make the world around us a better place.

Romans 5: 3-4, NIV – we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.