Joseph Michael Abdo

Joseph Michael Abdo “Joe” was 89 years young and passed peacefully away on November 25, 2019 on his daily walk in Naples, Florida.

Born in Mankato, Minnesota on September 29, 1930. Joe was the youngest of 13 children of Lebanese immigrant parents, Fadwa and Naif Abdo.

He was a product of Mankato catholic schools, attending Saints Peter and Paul and Loyola high school.

Joseph and Meredith Jean Austin, from Bancroft, Iowa, wed in 1950 and together had 7 children.

Joe was a Korean War veteran and graduated from Mankato State College with an accounting degree. He was the first in the country to pass the CPA exam before graduating college. He started a CPA firm in 1963 and 56 years later the firm has 170 employees, 20 partners and offices in Mankato and Minneapolis. In 1981 after retirement from accounting, he started Abdo and Daughters Publishing. A nationally recognized children’s book company with more than 100 employees. He was also a founding shareholder in Northland Securities and BankVista.

Joe was an avid golfer, Master Bridge player who enjoyed many other card games, as well. A voracious reader of everything. Joe was never without a bedside novel.

Preceded in death by his parents and his 12 siblings, he is survived by his loving wife Meredith of 69 years and his children; Jay (Julie Berg), Melody (DeMar) Borth, Lynne, Jill (Tom) Hansen, Jim (Harriet Sadaka), Jack (Maggie Coleman) and Paul (Julie Murray) and 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

He had a strong catholic faith. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and The Schola Foundation of which Joe was a founder.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on December 12, 2019 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Mankato, Minnesota. Visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at the Northview – North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato.