Celeste Marie(Hanka) Strahl

Celeste Marie Strahl died on March 28, 2016 at the Eleanor A. Koons House - Talbot Hospice in Easton, Maryland. Her last hours were spent in the presence of family members.

Celeste was born on July 5, 1921 in Clara City, Minnesota. Her parents were Lawrence and Anna (Thein) Hanka. As a toddler Celeste moved with them to her father's home in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. She grew up on the family farm there and attended a beautician college after high school graduation. Prior to her marriage to Joe Strahl in 1946, Celeste opened and operated a beauty salon in New Albany, Indiana. She left that career to live in Louisville, where she and Joe started their family.

Celeste and Joe dedicated their lives to raising their family of five children. Their family shared many adventures in their moves across the United States. Even though their five children were all born in Louisville, they moved together to Tallahassee, Florida, Sacramento, California, and Silver Spring, Maryland. After Joe's retirement he and Celeste rode their motorhome around the country, finally establishing their residence in Mesa, Arizona. They lived in the same neighborhood there as Celeste's sister, Mercedes McKnight.

After Joe's death in 2013 Celeste moved to Maryland to be closer to many of her children. She recently commented that, of all of the places she lived, she felt most at home in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. She liked Southern Indiana best of all. She also said that her favorite times were spent nurturing and raising her children. She loved being a mother and a grandmother.

Celeste was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Eugene Hanka and her husband Joe. She is survived by her sister, Mercedes McKnight and her husband Walter of Louisville, Kentucky and Mesa, Arizona and five children: Joseph (wife Nancy, sons Chris and Jon) of Gold Hill, Oregon, Celeste (daughter Kate) of Des Moines, Washington, Robert (wife Amy, sons Ben and Brian) of Frederick, Maryland, Dolores Strahl (daughter Caroline, sons Nick and Jeff) and Paulo Gouveia of Federalsburg, Maryland, and Mary Ewing (husband Blair) of Lutherville, Maryland.

Celeste's remains will be interred next to her husband's at St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church Cemetery in Floyds Knobs, Indiana on Saturday April 23, 2016 following her Funeral Mass in the chapel at the church at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, per Celeste's wishes, donations can be made to either the Eleanor A. Koons House – Talbot Hospice (586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601) or to the Right to Life of Southern Indiana (426 Bank Street, Suite 309, New Albany, IN 47150).