JULIUS FRANCES ABERNETHY HUITT
Julius Frances Abernethy Huitt, age 86, passed peacefully February 25, 2013 in her Kailua, Hawaii home. Frances was born July 10, 1926 in Newton, North Carolina, the youngest of three children to the late Frances Shrum Abernethy and Julius Whitner Abernethy. After graduating from Newton/Conover High School in 1944, she continued her education at Stephens College in Columbus, Missouri, where she majored in merchandising, receiving an Associate of Arts degree in 1946. While at Stephens College, she also earned her Private Pilot's License, becoming the first woman from Catawba County, North Carolina to do so. She next attended Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, majoring in business and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948. In 1947, Frances married John Dempsey Huitt whom she had known since the first grade. They moved to Winston-Salem, NC, starting a family while Dempsey continued his medical training. In 1955, with four young children, they moved to Hawaii to complete Dempsey's residency in Pediatrics and had their fifth child. The joys of island living changed what was to be a two year stay into a lifetime and in 1960 they moved to the windward side of Oahu making Kailua their permanent home. In addition to raising five children, Frances engaged in many church activities, including being a member of the Women's Missionary Union and ministering to inmates at local prison facilities. Her passionate faith in Christ led her in 1975 to open the Agape Shoppe in Kailua, a store specializing in Christian books and gifts. Frances touched many lives through her ministry at the Agape Shoppe continuing to faithfully and lovingly manage the shop until her passing. She had a joyous, colorful character, embracing the Spirit of Aloha infused with Southern hospitality, always taking time to talk story with shop patrons. Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John Dempsey Huitt, her daughter, Kathryn Rosendahl, her sister, Lura Abernethy Rader, and her brother, J. W. Abernethy Jr. She is survived by her sons, John, Robert, and Philip, her daughter, Mary Lou Hoffman, 16 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and a host of beloved relatives and friends. Services to remember and celebrate her life will be held at 3:00 p.m. March 21, 2013 at Kailua Baptist Church, 1080 Kailua Road, Kailua, HI with a reception to follow. Donations on her behalf can be made to the River of Life Mission, Salvation Army, and Gideons International.
JULIUS FRANCES ABERNETHY HUITT
Julius Frances Abernethy Huitt, age 86, passed peacefully February 25, 2013 in her Kailua, Hawaii home. Frances was born July 10, 1926 in Newton, North Carolina, the youngest of three children to the late Frances Shrum Abernethy and Julius Whitner Abernethy. After graduating from Newton/Conover High School in 1944, she continued her education at Stephens College in Columbus, Missouri, where she majored in merchandising, receiving an Associate of Arts degree in 1946. While at Stephens College, she also earned her Private Pilot's License, becoming the first woman from Catawba County, North Carolina to do so. She next attended Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, majoring in business and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948. In 1947, Frances married John Dempsey Huitt whom she had known since the first grade. They moved to Winston-Salem, NC, starting a family while Dempsey continued his medical training. In 1955, with four young children, they moved to Hawaii to complete Dempsey's residency in Pediatrics and had their fifth child. The joys of island living changed what was to be a two year stay into a lifetime and in 1960 they moved to the windward side of Oahu making Kailua their permanent home. In addition to raising five children, Frances engaged in many church activities, including being a member of the Women's Missionary Union and ministering to inmates at local prison facilities. Her passionate faith in Christ led her in 1975 to open the Agape Shoppe in Kailua, a store specializing in Christian books and gifts. Frances touched many lives through her ministry at the Agape Shoppe continuing to faithfully and lovingly manage the shop until her passing. She had a joyous, colorful character, embracing the Spirit of Aloha infused with Southern hospitality, always taking time to talk story with shop patrons. Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John Dempsey Huitt, her daughter, Kathryn Rosendahl, her sister, Lura Abernethy Rader, and her brother, J. W. Abernethy Jr. She is survived by her sons, John, Robert, and Philip, her daughter, Mary Lou Hoffman, 16 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and a host of beloved relatives and friends. Services to remember and celebrate her life will be held at 3:00 p.m. March 21, 2013 at Kailua Baptist Church, 1080 Kailua Road, Kailua, HI with a reception to follow. Donations on her behalf can be made to the River of Life Mission, Salvation Army, and Gideons International.Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
