Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Bethany Foods owner Ata Abbed is pictured with former employee Lois Traster.

•April 10, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

When Ata Abbed retired from General Motors after 26 years of service, he was still young enough to have a second career.
His brother was in the grocery business and had seen an ad for a grocery store in the small town of Bethany, Illinois. It turned out to be a 29-year adventure for Abbed and his family.
“We were so very fortunate to have had the best neighbors, like Jerry and Kay Ward, that anyone could ask for,” Ata recalled. “We had wonderful employees like Della Lowe, Hope Snyder, Lois Traster and the support of the community.”
“The community has been very supportive of the grocery store, and we can’t thank all of our customers enough for their support and friendship over the years,” he continued.
It was a good place to raise a family.
“In 1989 the community welcomed us and enabled us to work, build a home and raise a family here. Leaving all our friends and customers is the most difficult part of our retirement decision,” wife Linda added.
On Saturday, April 6 some of those customers came to shop or say “goodbye”.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.