Ernest Lawrence Abel, a resident of West Bloomfield, Michigan, died on January 22nd, 2022 at the age of 78. Funeral services arranged by The Dorfman Chapel.

Location of Service:

A Private Family Service will be held at The Dorfman Chapel

Date of Service:

Sunday January 23rd, 2022

Time of Service:

Private  

Interment at:

Private

Officiant:

Rabbi Herbert Yoskowitz  

Shiva Information:

Private family shiva will be held.  

Charitable contributions:

The Leader Dogs for the Blind
P.O. Box 5000
Rochester, MI 48308
Phone: (888) 777-5332

or
A charity of one's choice  

Family Members:

Ernest Lawrence Abel, age 78, passed away in his home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on January 22, 2022, surrounded by his family. Ernie was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend and colleague. Born February 10, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he was the son of the late Jack and Rose (Tarshes) Abel. Ernie received his B.A. in Psychology in 1965, an M.A. in Psychology in 1967, and a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1971, all at the University of Toronto. He completed his Postdoctorate work in Pharmacology at the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in 1973. At Chapel Hill, he was a research associate in a drug action program. He moved to New York where he worked in the NY State Department of Mental Hygiene in Buffalo, and then worked as acting deputy director of the Research Institute on Alcoholism. He became the supervisor of research in 1983-4. In 1985, he moved to Michigan, where he was a professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He was the Director of Operations at C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development from 1985 until 1989, and served as the Acting Director of the Mott Center beginning in 1989. Dr. Abel served as the President of the Fetal Alcohol Study Group of the Research Society on Alcoholism from 1985-86. He was one of the preeminent researchers of marijuana, and wrote several of the earliest research books on the topic. He was largely responsible for the addition of labels to alcohol bottles, warning pregnant women about the dangers of drinking. He was invited to speak about his work on fetal alcohol syndrome and marijuana research at an international level, from Brazil, to England, to Sweden.

Ernie married Barbara Ellen Buckley on September 20, 1970. A man of many talents and interests, Ernie ran multiple marathons in his thirties and forties. He enjoyed speed-walking and weight-training. He participated in community theater, acting in Bloomfield Players productions. During his many travels around the world with wife Barbara, he encouraged and championed her photography business, and enjoyed the process of selling her photography at events around the country. Over the course of his career, he wrote over fifty books, many of which were on topics beyond his scientific field of behavioral teratology. He wrote The Roots of Anti-Semitism during his graduate school years. A Civil War aficionado, he wrote about Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and Civil War music. He wrote books about genetic diseases, and co-wrote a book with Barbara about graffiti in bathrooms. He had multiple television and radio appearances, including on the Tom Snyder Show and To Tell The Truth, talking about his popular book Moon Madness, which was about the effects of the moon on human behavior. He also wrote countless articles on subjects ranging from the effects of nicknames on a person's longevity, to the roles of dogs during the Civil War. An avid reader as well as writer, Ernie loved book stores and libraries. One might never have known about his many and broad accomplishments, thanks to his humility.

Ernie is survived by loving wife of 51 years Barbara; son Jason (Leah) and grandchildren Jack, Emily and Alex of West Bloomfield; daughter Rebecca (Joe) and grandchildren Elliot and Ari of Bloomfield Hills. Among his family, he will be deeply loved and missed for his joke-telling, his intellectual banter, and his devotion to family.  

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