Stephen (“Steve”) Louis Celania, 81, passed away surrounded by the love and comfort of his family on August 11, 2023, at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois, after a brief battle with cancer.
Steve was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, on November 14, 1941, to Bertha and Paul Celania, the youngest of three boys. Steve started kindergarten at the age of four at Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Keokuk where he met and made many of his lifelong friends. He graduated from Saint Peter’s (Cardinal Stritch) High School in Keokuk, Iowa in 1959, and shortly thereafter began his career at Hoerner Box Company in Keokuk, where he worked for nearly 30 years.
Steve was an active leader, financial supporter, and volunteer for many community organizations. He worked tirelessly as a fundraiser for the Keokuk Catholic Schools and was among the early members of the Cardinal Stritch Boys and Girls Boosters Club for which he received the All Stritch Award for his many years of service. He was also awarded a Marilyn Pohorsky Special Memorial Award for his work on Keokuk’s Civil War Reenactment. He contributed his time and talent to many creative pursuits with Carla and dear friends to create and install displays for the City of Christmas, the Art Center’s Festival of Trees, and Keokuk Area Hospital Auxiliary’s Kardiac Kapers. Steve’s devotion to the preservation of the Keokuk Union Depot was unsurpassed, serving as an original Depot Commission member and volunteer coordinator.
Steve will be remembered for his strength of character. He was a man of honesty and genuineness. He was always there for anyone who needed him. Steve had an awesome sense of humor and was an onery prankster. He loved to share stories with his family and friends and would laugh so hard while recounting his antics that soon everyone around him would be laughing too. Steve loved life and had many talents. He could build or fix most anything (long before the age of google) and was particularly known for his mathematical “extrapolations”.
Above all, Steve loved his family. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 58 years, Carla; daughter Lisa Celania of Denver, Colorado; son Paul Celania and his wife Kelly of Hamilton, Illinois; grandsons David and Lucas Celania; brothers Larry (Jan) Celania of Keokuk, and Jack (Jody) Celania of Keokuk; nieces and nephews; and a host of extended relatives and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A graveside service will be held at Oakland Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 26, followed by a celebration of Steve’s life hosted by the family from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Keokuk Union Depot, 100 Water Street Drive, Keokuk, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Keokuk Catholic Schools or the Keokuk Union Depot Commission.
Tributes and condolences may be left at www.dejongsfuneralhome.com.
DeJong-Greaves-Printy Funeral Home of Keokuk is in charge of arrangements.
