Jill Annette Abram: December 4, 1956 - May 15, 2016

Not at all glamorous, impossible to pigeon-hole, neither blessed nor burdened with aggressiveness and ambition, yet focused and strong with a spiritual solidity: These words were actually used to describe singer Eva Cassidy on the ABC Nightline “Eva Cassidy Story,” but also describe our Jill perfectly. No wonder she loved Eva Cassidy so much — kindred spirits, were they. Both had sweet singing voices, really, really loved their moms and sadly, both died too soon.

Jill was born December 4, 1956 in South Bend, Indiana, the fifth daughter out of six children. Her family moved to Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, Mich. and then to Wichita, Kansas, where she completed her school years. Her adventurous nature luring her into early independence, she moved to Greely, Colo. for a time before moving to San Francisco in the mid 1970s. During this phase of her life she held many different kinds of jobs: working in a meat packing plant, managing a Taco Bell, enforcing fishing permits on the San Pablo Reservoir for East Bay M.U.D., transporting and caring for animals for Pet Express, and catering.

She settled down somewhat at that point, spending the next decade working at St. Luke’s hospital in San Francisco and completing her training as a CNA. Her next move was to Mendocino where she began her important work of caring for people at the end of their lives and realized her dream of living the rural lifestyle. Her final move brought her to Southern Humboldt, where she continued her work of caring for the infirm and living off the grid.

Even though she was vertically challenged, only reaching a height of 4’11” (or 4’11 ¾” as she would always insist), no feat was too large once she had set her mind to it. Whether it was road trips on her motorcycle, driving a large vehicle, implementing a water system, milking goats or hunting down a predator that had killed her chickens, she could do it all.

Angelic, impish and mischievous at the same time, Jill liked to “mess with” people. When one of her sisters had a concern that she had a Peeping Tom, Jill fashioned a cardboard cutout of the perpetrator’s head which she placed on the outside of the sister’s bedroom window, where it was sure to be seen. Even though such pranks could give a person a fright, it was impossible to feel mad at her.

Jill took loving care of all her animals: dogs, cats, chickens, goats and a desert tortoise named Star that she inherited from one of her hospice patients. She would whistle “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and all her chickens would come running. Star once got away – lost in the woods. Jill was literally sick over it, putting up signs everywhere and asking anyone in the vicinity if they might have seen her. Miraculously, Star was found a month or so later by a couple of children, alive and mostly well. Even though wild animals were special to her too, paradoxically, she didn’t hesitate to kill bobcats, raccoons or other critters that came around looking to make a meal of her pets.

Many will know Jill from the additional work she did as a shuttle driver for tourists hiking the Lost Coast Trail. She is known to have gone to great lengths to help everyone out; people with injuries, hitch-hikers, stranded hikers, bicyclists – never asking for payment.

Jill was an inspiration to many, making her way on her own, living her life on her terms, all with her personal brand of wit, grit and sarcasm, a free spirit who truly lived. She was always quick with a smile and never judged. No one loved a party more than Jill. We’ll miss her bonfires on the beach, impromptu fireworks gatherings, late nights of Skip Bo and Sequence games and practical jokes. We’ll definitely miss her delectable cooking.

Jill accepted her stroke and the aftermath without complaint and with courage, humor and grace. Completely bed-bound and paralyzed, the first thing she’d invariably say when seeing someone was, “How are you?” We envision her blazing the trail toward the next great adventure, with her beloved American bull dog, Bob, at her side. She leaves behind legions of loved ones in the form of family and friends, most notably her bff and bro, Billy. Vaya con Dios dearest Jill!

Jill’s family would like to thank the nurses and therapists at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Vitas Hospice for their quality, compassionate care. A memorial will be planned at a future date.

###

The obituary above was submitted by Jill Abram’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.