Willa D. Abelson, 82, of Urbana passed away Wednesday, June 6, 2012, at her home.

Willa was born March 14, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio to parents Gwendolyn Bale and William Dinwoodie. She married Robert Paul Abelson June 11, 1955. He preceded her in death July 13, 2005.

Survivors include sons John Abelson (Kendall Rafter) of Urbana and Bill Abelson of Seattle; sisters Claire Roth (Art), Judy Bray (Bill) and Margaret Guarino (John), all of Cleveland; and grandson Benjamin Abelson-Rafter of Urbana.

Willa earned a bachelor's degree from Baldwin-Wallace College, a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate from Harvard University. She worked as a clinical child psychologist at the Clifford Beers Clinic and at the Yale Child Study Center. She then changed careers and worked as a special education reading tutor in the New Haven, Connecticut schools. She was an avid reader of mystery novels and loved singing, piano, painting and the company of good friends. She was a longtime member of the Unitarian Society of New Haven, and later that of Urbana. She will be most remembered for her vitality, good humor, grace, wisdom and loving relationships.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 16, 10:30 am at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, 309 W. Green St., Urbana. Friends of Willa are invited to contribute their remembrances during the service.

A second memorial for the benefit of friends and relatives in the New Haven area will be held on September 22, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Her ashes will be interred next to those of her husband at that time.