Celeste Nelms Stuckey

Celeste Nelms Stuckey, 99, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, in Raleigh, NC. Celeste was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on May 5, 1924, to the late John Ivey Nelms and Lydia Dunn Nelms.

While attending Rocky Mount High School, Celeste was active in Glee Club, Choir and Drama Club. During this time, she also met her future husband, Bill Stuckey, who was attending NCSU. After her graduation in 1942, Celeste followed her parents to Newport News, VA, where she began working in the payroll office of the shipyard.

Celeste and Bill continued to date and were intending to get married when World War II interrupted their plans. Bill suspended his studies at NCSU to enlist in the Army Air Corps and left in January 1943 for cadet training. Meanwhile, Celeste kept working at the shipyard during the day and sang regularly with Shelly Harmon and His Orchestra to fill her evenings. Celeste and Bill were finally able to marry on April 22, 1944, about eight months before Bill shipped out to Europe as a B26 pilot.

When Bill came home after the war, the couple moved to Raleigh for Bill to finish his education at NC State, where he remained to teach in the School of Textiles. Celeste became a devoted Wolfpack fan, and they made life-long friends while living in Vetville, the student housing on campus for returning veterans with families, and as early members of the Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church.

Celeste worked throughout the years with several different companies before settling down at Wachovia Bank Operations Center, where she was employed for over a decade. She felt lucky to have made several of her closest friends while working there.

Celeste loved music, and her family enjoyed listening to her melodious, contralto voice when she danced around the house singing to all her favorites from Steve and Eydie Gorme to the Statler Brothers, to Bonnie Raitt and Michael Bublé. Though she encouraged all her children to pursue music, sadly, none inherited her musical talents. They did, however, inherit her love of books. She was an avid reader and a member of the Mystery Book Club at Quail Ridge Books for many years.

Celeste’s sharp wit and beautiful laugh made her a fun person to spend time with. She had a kind and generous heart and was a defender of the underdog. She believed everyone should be treated with dignity. Celeste never met a human baby or fur baby she didn’t love and was a grandmother extraordinaire. She especially adored spending time with and spoiling her grandkids. Celeste delighted in summer trips to visit with relatives in Virginia and Florida and relished family vacations at the beach.

Celeste will be desperately missed by all of us who knew and loved her, but we feel fortunate to have had these many years to make cherished memories with her.

Celeste is preceded in death by her devoted husband of 75 years, William (Bill) Clifton Stuckey, Jr., and son William Clifton (Cliff) Stuckey, III (Cheryl). She is survived by her loving brother, John William (Bill) Nelms, and three daughters; Bonnie Stuckey Van Hoy (Rick), Dee Stuckey (Steve Hall), and Amy Stuckey. She is also survived by six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a nephew and niece.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Celeste to the Dementia Alliance of NC or the SPCA of Wake County.

A family graveside service will be held at Raleigh Memorial Park on Saturday, October 28, at 2:00 p.m.

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