Ione Celsor

1933 - 2021

Ione (McDermid) Celsor

Greenville - Ione (McDermid) Celsor, 87, Greenville, WI, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2021 with her daughters by her side. Born December 28, 1933 in Oconto Falls, WI to the late Lester and Verna (Murphy) McDermid, she married Revely Celsor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Chase, WI on April 25, 1954 and they enjoyed 63 years of adventure. Revely preceded Ione in death on May 10, 2017.

Ione loved life. She was someone who anyone could joke with and talk to. She was a good and cherished friend to many. As a young woman, she moved to the big city of Chicago where she met Revely. After a whirlwind courtship, they married and had five determined children. First settling in the Chicago area, Rev and Onie moved to Appleton, WI in 1969 and then to Greenville in 1971 where they spent their remaining years gardening, taking annual road trips for family reunions/visits, and travelling. Rev and Onie thought nothing of piling the kids into the car for a four-hour car ride to get a hotdog at one of their favorite Chicago hotdog joints.

A loyal Sears employee, Ione held a variety of roles including manning the store's popcorn stand and supervising the Appleton Service Center. At home, she was a busy, hard-working mom and a great cook. She canned or froze almost anything, and her children were often elbow-deep picking fruits and vegetables by her side. "Two in the mouth, one in the bushel-basket," she would say. She was known for her apple pies and was a skilled seamstress making one-of-a-kind quilts for her children and grandchildren. She loved sharing what she knew, and many of her grandchildren learned the "how to" from grandma. She would beam with pride when the grandkids took what she taught to a whole new level. She believed in staying active and, at the age of 85, authored Life is a Pleasure, Enjoy to the Fullest, a memoir published by Barnes & Noble Press. She was proud to learn that a copy of the book resides in the Library of Congress.

Surviving are her children Karen (Bill) Lauer, Mercer, WI; Gail (Paul) Schwarz, Appleton, WI; Mary (Jerry) Consie, Mesa, AZ; and Katharyn (Cameron) McLaren, Hortonville, WI. She is further survived by 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren Theresa (Robert) Smith and their children Benjamin, Ayden, and Brynn; Wesley Schwarz and his children Madison, Caden, and Peyton; Lisa (Jean) Iribarren and their children Elizabeth and Zachary; Chris Lauer; Nathan (Mykala) Schwarz; Erich (Rachel) Schwarz and their children Eli and Audrey; Elizabeth Lauer; Anna Consie (Scott Schreiber); Kelsey (Corbin) Guerts and their children Cooper and Carter; Chloe Celsor; Asher Celsor; Kiera McLaren and Kelton McLaren. Sister Judy (Joe) Delisi, sisters-in-law Vi McDermid and Ida Horn; brothers-in-law Jimmy and Willie Celsor.

Preceding her in death was her beloved son Robert; her parents; brothers Don (Mary) McDermid and Neil McDermid; sister Betty (Roland) Rasmussen; and Revely's siblings Helen, Edsel, Harmon, Loyd, Ned, Don, Dewey, Lucille, and Webb.

We would like to thank the extraordinary hospice workers at Compassus who helped us navigate this difficult time. We know mom would have preferred a great party to celebrate her life, but due to the current pandemic, a private service will be held for immediate family only. You may view the private service by visiting www.valleyfh.com for live streaming on Tuesday, January 19 at 11 am. A recording will then be posted to the site for viewing at your convenience. We ask you to enjoy a slice of pie in her honor. As mom said in her recent book:

"Together our stories make a fine stew. The ingredients are not always to our liking, so should we remove the joy, sadness, achievements, losses? I say no. Let's just enjoy the flavor. Your bowl is right up there in the cupboard and your spoon is in the drawer. Come to the table and enjoy a fine meal with me!" From Life is a Pleasure, Enjoy to the Fullest.