Cesli Vaccaro

Cesli was born in Spokane, Washington, and raised in Morton, IL. She tenderly leaves behind her husband, Gino, their daughter, Rachel (22), and their son, Isaiah (24). She is also survived by her brother Derek, her sister Cristi, her mother Sarah, her brother Steve, and her father Clay.
Cesli grew up with her older sister Cristi and her younger brother Derek, both of whom she delighted in. At the tender age of four, Cesli sincerely gave her life to Jesus Christ at a Good News Club. She and her little friend would pull out their Bibles and pretend to read the verses, even though they could not yet read. Cesli thrived academically and excelled in Bible memory quiz team competitions, where she won nearly everything there was to win. She excelled in school, band, and sports. She detasseled corn in the summers, worked at the family appliance store, and mended fences on her family's property. Remarkably, she learned to drive at the age of six so that if anything happened to her father while they were mending fence far out on the land, she could drive home for help. She has loved driving ever since.
Cesli loved being outdoors growing up. She was an incredible athlete and a star tennis player in both high school and college. She was a strong Christian, known in high school for telling others about Jesus and leading many of her friends to Christ. She began going on mission trips as a teenager. Her first trip to Haiti left a profound impression that shaped her for the rest of her life. On each trip she expressed her joy at being able to help people in practical ways while also sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
After high school, Cesli earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where she deepened her faith in Christ and grew in her understanding of how God tenderly created men and women. She had a deep desire to help others and was committed to developing her skills with excellence, gentle care, and God's love. While at Taylor, she was befriended by Jill Briscoe and invited to attend an intimate Bible study with Jill, Ruth Graham, Edith Schaeffer, and Elisabeth Elliot. Her time with these amazing women of God made a lasting impact on her and profoundly shaped her prayer life.
After graduating from Taylor in 1986, Cesli was invited by Jill and Stuart Briscoe to serve an internship at Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin, where she and Jill became very close friends.
Following her internship, Cesli went on to graduate school at Azusa Pacific University, where she earned a master's degree in Human Development with an emphasis in counseling. It was there that she met her lifelong best friend, Lisa Hayes, whom she dearly loved and trusted throughout her life. While at Azusa, Cesli also continued to serve on mission trips, where she especially enjoyed working with children from around the world.
Upon graduating in 1987, Cesli was invited by the Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) to lead their denominational Women's Ministry and Disaster Relief efforts. It was through this work that she fell in love with serving people in desperate need. This passion later led to her beloved work with Samaritan's Purse.
In 1989, while serving with EMC, Cesli attended a Pastoral Care Ministries inner healing conference in Wheaton, IL, led by Leanne Payne. It was there she first met her future husband, Gino.
In 1990, Cesli moved to Hartland, WI, to take a sabbatical where she offered her services as a nanny for Roger and Gayle Perry. Together with Gino, Sue Gantner, and the Perrys, she helped start an inner healing ministry that touched many lives in their community with the healing love of Jesus Christ. During this time, Cesli and Gino also became very close to the Gantner family-Sue, Jim, Jamie, Sarah, Mark, and Matt.
In the summer of 1992, Cesli and Gino were engaged. They spent one year apart while Gino attended Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. They were married in the summer of 1993, after which Cesli joined Gino in California at Fuller. There she earned a second master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, receiving multiple academic awards for her outstanding work. Together, they served as youth pastors, grew closer to Christ, and drew closer to one another. Cesli thrived in her academic pursuits, maintaining straight A student all through elementary, middle, high school, college and graduate schools. Her husband Gino was not :). She not only excelled personally but also helped many others achieve their goals.
In 1996, Cesli and Gino graduated from Fuller and moved to her hometown of Morton, IL, where they both continued to serve as counselors. Cesli worked at Methodist Hospital in Peoria, IL, while Gino completed his internship at Illinois State University. At Methodist, the Vaccaros met dear friends Greg and Peg Harmston and their children Ty, Jill, and Case.
In March of 2001, Cesli and Gino started a Christian counseling practice Agape Counseling, opening three offices in Morton, Peoria, and Bloomington on the same day. They each served as therapists and developed a strong team of gifted counselors and talented staff. Agape Counseling continues to serve Central Illinois today.
It was through their professional life that Cesli and Gino became close family friends with Nina Latrello, her husband Davis and their daughter Paris, and Ben Licata and his wife Liz and their children Zach, Nick, Emily and Anne Marie.
On August 8, 2001, God blessed them with the birth of their remarkable son, Isaiah James. On August 7, 2003, He doubly blessed them with the birth of their beautiful daughter, Rachel Marie. Cesli was an incredible mother-she homeschooled her children, nurtured their faith, and delighted in playing with them. Whether bundled in parkas, splashing in rain boots, or enjoying the sunshine, she filled their days with joy. She read to them nightly, played with them daily, and poured her life into them.
In 2010, Cesli's dear friend and mentor, Leanne Payne, asked if Cesli and Gino would serve as registrar's for her last Pastoral Care Ministry Conference at Wheaton, IL. The next year, Leanne asked if Cesli and Gino would continue her ministry by establishing a new ministry call Ministries of Pastoral Care. Cesli and Gino believed that Jesus was leading them and their dedicated team to provide week long Ministry of Pastoral Care inner healing conferences around the world. They ministered God's healing grace in various countries including New Zealand, South Korea, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Africa and the United States. Cesli always brought their children Isaiah and Rachel with them and would remain in the countries longer to enable them to get to meet and get to know Christians and peoples of other lands, languages and cultures. It was a rich time of family ministry for Cesli and her family. Out of the MPC ministry rose some of Cesli & Gino's most dear friends and a 25 year daily prayer community consisting of Ben & Sara Harkins, Eric & Amy Fenn, Chris & Shells McGhee, Amy Hansen, Ben Kaiser, Lori Sutton, Phil Schertz, Deb Peterson, Dedra Baker, and Mauro & Ester Pura.
In 2016, Cesli met Gino's best friend, Gary Giglio, who soon became one of her most trusted and beloved friends and brothers in Christ,. She offered him her best and he offered her his best all the time. Cesli, Gino, and Gary would minster to many, the healing love of Jesus Christ while living in Florida. Cesli and Gary were very close and intensely devoted to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Cesli, Gino and their children, consider Gary and his children Grant, Theresa and Tommy to be one family in Christ Jesus now.
In June of 2018 began Cesli began her most treasured time of ministry by serving in Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse is a Christian humanitarian organization that provides emergency relief, medical care, and community aid worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ. She had always been drawn to disaster relief work and fully understood the power of Jesus Christ and His people in times of most dire need. She had a passion not only to ministering to those who had been devastated by war, famine, disease, hurricanes and disasters, but to the incredible people of God that served them. She was broken bread and poured out wine. Her passion was loving Jesus with all of her heart, soul, mind and strength; and loving God's people. She felt like she had found her tribe, her people, when she served alongside fearless, intensely talented, and wholly devoted teams of wild followers of Jesus Christ. Her mentors, leaders and coworkers in Christ, such as her beloved director John Freyler, Ken Isaacs, JoHannah Fields, Peter Holtz, Kelly Sites,
and for too many friends to name. She has so many best friends is it is hard to be able to remember them all. Cesli would talk about all her amazing SP friends and those they served. It was her great gift from God she would say, to be able to work with such an amazing Christian ministry doing what her deepest heart loved to do. She loved making a real difference in this world, in this life.
Cesli's deployments include the following: 2018 Joined Samaritian's Purse and completes training to become a member of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
2019 Bahamas - Hurricane Response 2020 New York City - Covid Response 2020-21 Fort Pickett, Virginia - Afghan Response 2022 Poland - Ukraine Response 2022 Kyiv - Ukraine Response 2023-24 Acapulco - Hurricane Response 2024 Texas - NAM - Flooding 2024 Grenada - Hurricane Response 2024-25 North Carolina - Hurricane Helene Response 2024-25 North Carolina - Hurricane Helene Assessments 2025 Juba South Sudan - International Field Chaplain visit
In 2022, On their own accord and expense, Cesli and Gary Giglio began working on returning a father home to his family in the United States. The father had been separated during a war and his family were flown overseas to the U.S. to receive asylum. There was tremendous prayer and many many challenges for him to return to his family in the U.S. but Cesli and Gary never gave up and after 2 years the father was returned to his family. Cesli and Gary were very close to the family.
Cesli was constantly in prayer and on the move. She loved studying the word everyday. She loved to worship and never held back. She loved exercising at the gym, walking outside, swimming, playing golf, tennis, pickleball, basketball, football, anything with a ball really. She so enjoyed playing sports with kids and making it so fun for everyone. In the most recent times when Cesli was not on a deployment, she enjoyed spending her time with Gino, Rachel, Isaiah, Gary, Lisa Hayes and Grant. Gino and Cesli were crazy about one another and everyone knew it, and her love for their children was powerfully full and beautiful.
Cesli also became very good friends with Grant Giglio. Cesli loved playing golf and talking everyday with Grant after he was done with his work at Goldman Sachs. Often after playing golf, they would join Gino and Grant's father Gary for pickleball and conversation. When Rachel or Isaiah were in town having fun with them was always her priority. Cesli loved a simple and very active life.
Cesli was an amazing wife of 32 years. She was like no other. There are no other Cesli's before or after. Cesli and Gino loved each other with the depth and breadth that can only flourish in the light and glory of GOD's grace, mercy and love. GOD uniquely created Cesli in His image and she gave over all she had to HIM and became more and more of who she really is. GOD enjoyed loving His world through her, which was her constant prayer.
Cesli loved her children Isaiah and Rachel with all she was and now is, and Rachel and Isaiah loved, and continue to love her with equal measure.
Cesli, you are missed far beyond what our hearts can express or endure, but we hold fast to the deep Truth, that you are now in the Presence of God our Holy Father, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit all three-in-one. It comforts us to know that you are basking in the fullness of God's pure joy and perfect all-encompassing everlasting love. Good bye my Darling. See you again in the Presence of the Living God..