Obituary of Abigail Joy Semon

   Abigail Joy Semon, 31, died January 10, 2017, in Chapel Hill, NC. Born February 9, 1986, in Dayton, Ohio, Abigail attended Oakwood schools in Dayton, and Asheville High School in Asheville, NC. She attended Appalachian State University with a double major in Global Studies and Spanish, and graduated with honors.

   Abigail was a creative writer, artist, and self-employed business woman, and in her spare time began designing a line of handbags. Throughout her life, Abigail was a passionate, loyal, and loving person with great empathy for the oppressed. As an undergrad, she studied for a semester in Ghana, and traveled to Mexico, New Zealand, and throughout Central America, sharing her enthusiasm and giving to people in need wherever she encountered them.

   In 2017, she began graduate school in Global Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, with the hope of continuing to fight for the oppressed. No one who knew Abigail could ever forget her compassion for anyone in need.

   A lover of books and poetry, Abigail marked this page in a book of essays by Mary Oliver: “Wherever I’ve lived my room and soon the entire house is filled with books; poems, stories, histories, prayers of all kinds stand up gracefully or are heaped on shelves, on the floor, on the and bed. Strangers old and new offering their words bountifully and thoughtfully, lifting my heart.”

   Abigail is survived by her parents, James and Roxanne Semon, sisters Kascha Snavely and Katelyn Semon, and brothers-in-law John Snavely and Richard Weidemann. A memorial service is yet to be determined. If you wish to honor Abigail, you may donate to the Latino Migration Project, https://give.unc.edu/donate?from=wt&p=LMPU,  sponsored by UNC Chapel Hill, or to the International Rescue Committee, or to a non-profit that supports a similar cause for those in need.

To donate to The Latino Migration Project, in memory of Abigail Semon, donors can send checks made out to

The Institute for the Study of the Americas and mail checks directly to UNC at this address:

Hannah Gill, Associate Director

The Institute for the Study of the Americas

3205 Fed Ex Global Education Center

301 Pittsboro Street, CB #3205

Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3205