~ IN MEMORY ~
Celeste D. Singleton, widow of DL pilot Joe Singleton and
mother of DL employee Patricia
1918 ~ 2014
Notification with the passing of Celeste D. Singleton, widow
of WWII veteran DL pilot F/O Joseph Browning ‘Joe’ Singleton. I believe Celeste
was born October 9, 1918 and was 95 years of age at the time of her passing.
She was widowed twice having lost her first husband during WWII (Battle of the
Bulge). Second husband DL F/O Joe Singleton, born May 19th of 1919, passed
on May 5th of 1977. Celeste had most recently resided in Miami,
Florida.
To view/sign the online guestbook please visit
Thank you,
~ Carol for the
PCN
======================
SINGLETON, CELESTE D. was an extraordinary woman, with sky blue eyes and
red hair, who possessed an infectious smile, one that all remembered who ever
met her. She was a child of the Great Depression, who grew up in Baltimore,
Maryland and outside Arlington, Virginia with her beloved sister, Joan, and her
mother and father who worked hard to make ends meet, although they scraped
enough to buy the family a second-hand piano and send Celeste to lessons. A
significant family member was her great uncle John, who was a doctor who had a
winter home in Miami Beach. He and his wife had no children, so they sent
generous gifts to their family, Celeste included. Celeste's first glimpse of
South Florida was during visits to his home. When Celeste turned 20, her uncle
was named president of the American Medical Association, and he invited Celeste
to prepare a musical presentation for his installation in Atlantic City. He also
gave Celeste and her sister $2000 each, and Celeste wisely used that money,
supplemented by seven years of part-time jobs working for professors and
government agencies in Washington, D.C., to go to college. She had joined the Pi
Beta Phi sorority in 1937, and graduated from George Washington University in
1942 as a political science major. In 2012, she was honored as a 75 year member
of Pi Phi, and she was active in the Miami Women's Panhellenic Association for
many decades. Toward the end of college, during World War II, Celeste fell in
love with a summer classmate, Lew Sasser. Lew was drafted and sent to Ft. Knox,
where he trained to be part of a tank battalion. Celeste and Lew were married in
November 1942, and four months later, he was sent to Europe. Celeste filled a
three ring binder with love letters from Lew, which the family has fondly kept.
Tragically in January of 1945, Lew was killed in action during the Battle of the
Bulge. When Lew went overseas, Celeste moved back home to Virginia and worked
for Standard Oil in their D.C. office. After her husband's death, the young
beautiful widow bravely applied for a transfer to New Orleans to begin her life
over. There she met Joe Singleton, who had returned safely from the war as an
Air Corps pilot, and was applying as a pilot with Delta Airlines. Celeste helped
Joe type his resume, he got the job, they fell in love and married and they
moved to Chicago, where daughter, Patricia was born. In 1948, they left for the
tropical breezes of Miami, where daughter Martha was born. They became members
of Saint Thomas Episcopal Church just after that new congregation moved out of a
tent and dedicated Rantz Hall. Husband Joe flew for Delta for 15 years but was
grounded with emphysema at a young age, and Celeste cared for him for many years
with this chronic illness until his death in 1977. She remained
active in Pi Phi, and had joined the Coco Plum Women's Club in 1953, where she
was involved in volunteer office duties and community outreach. Always
glamorous, she attended church every Sunday in a dress, high heels, hat and
white gloves. She managed the St. Thomas Thrift Shop six days a week for
decades, and her contributions to both the church and the community are worthy
of notice: in October 1975 the Herald wrote an article entitled "Debts Paid,
Church is Consecrated" which described a large ceremony of 500 plus who
witnessed as the church's mortgage was officially burned, as Celeste had
submitted the final payment of the $38,000 mortgage from funds she raised!
During this time Celeste also enjoyed extensive world travel through airline
passes from her husband Joe and daughter, Pat, who also worked for Delta. She
traveled to over 30 countries, including Japan, Spain, Portugal, the British
Isles, and Russia. She visited King Tut's tomb in Egypt and kissed the Blarney
stone in Ireland. She also traveled with friends to the Caribbean, traveled from
New York City to Iceland and then Scandinavia, and later took a month long
cruise to Alaska via the Panama Canal. Celeste was a beautiful soul with a heart
for service to others who was born ahead of her time, as she never fell under
the influence of the prejudices of many of her generation. She never saw a
person by the color of their skin, their age, culture, or financial
circumstances. She believed in the equality of women, and she raised two strong
independent daughters. She instilled in them the love of a back road trip with a
picnic, sunrises and sunsets, and the local treasures like Matheson Hammock and
the islands of Biscayne Bay and the Keys. She treasured her family until the day
she peacefully died at home, surrounded by family and the things that she loved.
In her last decade Parkinson's Disease had slowed her down, but she found
companions to help her live life fully to the end: Maria Cristina, Maritza,
Brenda, Adriana, Maria and Paola were all her "earth angels" for many years.
Celeste is survived by her beloved sister, Joan; nieces, Dianne and Barbara; her
daughters Patricia and Martha and son-in-law, Walt; three grandchildren, Joy,
Brian & Holly, and five great-grands: Dillon, Sabrina, Avery, Ethan, and
Lilliana, born just two months ago. A private celebration of her wonderful life
will be held at St. Thomas. In lieu of flowers, Celeste and her family request
that donations be made to either the American Parkinson's Disease Association,
or the Tropical Audubon Society.
.Published in the Miami Herald on July 27, 2014
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