Cele was born on July 25, 1926 in Duluth, Minnesota to Marie and John Gimpel. She was the oldest of eight children, and moved out as soon as she realized that meant having her own bedroom.
In the 1940’s, she had two beautiful blue-eyed sons, Jimmy and Joey. They both passed away in their childhoods, and she loved them fiercely throughout her life.
In 1956, she married the love of her life, Roger White. They were married for over 40 colorful years, until his death in 1996. In the last weeks of her own life, she said it best: “Roger gave me hell, but he sure was fun. We had a great time.” Their marriage produced her other great love and lifelong best friend, their daughter Anna.
She married her favorite golf partner Bob Allen in 1999, and they were wonderful companions for almost 20 years.
A natural redhead till the end, Cele looked like Lucille Ball, sang like Julie Andrews, and danced like Ginger Rogers. She was an artist; she painted, played piano by ear, and made the best homemade chocolate sundaes.
She loved the finer things – ice cold crab and champagne, her son-in-law’s eggplant parmesan, Ella Fitzgerald, bleu cheese stuffed olives, new Cadillacs. She lived by her favorite saying: “Why stop in Philadelphia when you can go to New York?”
She lit up every room, and the lives of those she loved, especially her daughter Anna Eversole, son-in-law John, granddaughters Alexa (Jordan) and Amanda (Chris), her six equally redheaded siblings Pat (Gordon), Bob (Marie), Chubber, Donald, Mary Alice (Roger), and Jack, one blonde brother Richard (Mary Lou), and many beloved nieces and nephews, especially Barbara and Al who she loved like a daughter and son.
Cele was generous and funny, vivacious and moody, and so many beautiful things that make up a life. We will miss her every single day.
The family would like to express gratitude to those who provided her wonderful care toward the end of her life, especially the compassionate doctors and nurses at Mercy.
In lieu of flowers, play some Sinatra and have a martini.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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