Celia Keeling

1929 - 2024

Celia Keeling, 94, of Bardstown, passed away peacefully at Baptist Health Hardin Hospital on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Celia was born Nov. 14, 1929, in Cincinnati, to the late Earl Hagan and Ruby Franklin Hagan.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Francis Hornett; and her husband, Edward Keeling.
She was a member of the initial 1948 graduating class of Old Kentucky Home High School. She served as a branch librarian at Cox's Creek in 1968, became an aide at the Nelson County Public Library in 1970, and then the Library Director from 1985 until her retirement in 1995. She was an avid genealogist and contributed lots of research during and after her time with the library. In 2011, she was recognized by the Kentucky Historical Society as their 2011 Lifetime Dedication to History Award recipient for 30 years of preserving and making historical records available to the public and other researchers.
She was a Daughters of the American Revolution member, a charter member of the Nelson County Genealogical Round Table, member of the Nelson County Historical Society, Bardstown Women's Club and an East Fork Homemaker.
Celia was a member of the Cox's Creek Baptist Church where she served in various roles. She also wrote an extensive update of the history of Cox's Creek Baptist Church for its 200th anniversary in 1985 and wrote a history for Wickland Baptist Church. She also found that she was a direct descendant to some of the first pastors at Cox's Creek going back to 1785.
She quilted, did needlework stitching, scrapbooked, and in her later years was an avid jigsaw puzzler. She created extensive family trees for both sides of her family. She enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and visits from family and friends.
Survivors include two sons, James (Sheila) Keeling of Bardstown, Raymond (Roxanne) Keeling of Elizabethtown, four grandchildren, Stewart (Dana) Keeling, Jonathan Keeling, Tasha Brown, and Aaron Keeling; and five great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank those that cared for her during her last few weeks of rehab at Signature Health in Elizabethtown and the nurses at Baptist Health Hardin that were so lovingly kind and compassionate in their care of her.
The funeral will be 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home. Bro. Jim Bratcher will officiate. Interment will be in Highland Memory Gardens in Mt. Washington. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, and Thursday, Aug. 1, from 9 a.m. until time of the funeral.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to Gideons International or the Cox's Creek Baptist Church. Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.