Celia Nwanneka Offoh, lovingly known by her family as C or CC, passed away on August 20, 2022, at the age of 79. She was born on August 4, 1943, in Kaduna, Nigeria as the sixth out of seven children of Mr. James and Agnes Offoh.
She attended St. Barth’s Primary School in Enugu, Nigeria. Thereafter, she attended St. Catherine’s Girls Secondary School in Nkwerre, Nigeria. Celia enjoyed teaching and after obtaining a Nigerian Certificate of Education from Federal Advanced Teachers College in Lagos, Nigeria she worked as an assistant education officer for secondary schools in Nigeria for many years. Her experience working as an education officer inspired her to obtain more formalized education. Thus, Celia returned as a student and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics Education at the University of Lagos. Subsequently, she worked as a senior education officer at Queens Girls’ College and at Women’s Training College in Enugu, where she taught mathematics to students as they trained to become teachers.
In the late 1970s, Celia moved to the United States and obtained a Master’s Degree in Mathematics at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. She relocated to the Dallas area and worked in a variety of teaching jobs as a math teacher including Paul Quinn College, DeVry Institute of Technology, Dallas Independent School District, and Ft Worth Independent School District. She spent the longest time at Irving Independent School District where she taught math at Irving High School. Celia retired from teaching in 2009.
No job was too big or small for Celia. She held many other jobs including working in childcare, dining, and retail. One of her favorite side jobs was working as a sales associate at Macy’s where she enjoyed engaging with customers. Celia’s daily role as a mother was a great joy to her, and the love and care in which her daughter was raised influenced her daughter’s choice to care for others as a physician.
Above all Celia was a dear believer and loved the Lord Jesus. She was steadfast in her devotional time with the Lord every morning and was an avid reader of the Bible. Her faith was unwavering, and she enjoyed being in fellowship with other Christians. While she is abroad from her physical body, she is home and at peace with the Lord.
Celia is survived by her daughter, Dr. Uchenna Agbim of St. Louis, Missouri, two sisters, Esther Obinegbo of Ekwulobia, Anambra State, Nigeria, Ms. Joy Obi of Atlanta, GA and many cousins, nieces, and nephews who love and miss her dearly. She is preceded in death by her parents and four of her siblings, Mr. Godfrey Offoh, Lt. Col Felicia Ossai, Retired, Mr. Herbert Offoh, and Ms. Grace Offoh.
