Celeste Elizabeth Ward

Celeste Elizabeth (Caulfield) Ward passed away peacefully with family by her side January 11, 2023, after an eleven-month battle with cancer. She is survived by her two daughters, Elizabeth Whittle (Jim) and Lulu Gonella (Geoff), her four grandsons, Daniel Whittle, Geoff Gonella, Jr., Christopher Whittle and Andrew Gonella and her sister, Mary Caulfield. Her beloved husband of over 59 years, David Bohan Ward predeceased her on April 13, 2022.

Celeste was born on August 7, 1939, in Bangor, Maine to parents John and Angela (Meehan) Caulfield. She graduated in 1962 from Trinity College in Washington, DC and taught elementary school for several years before having her two daughters.Celeste approached her roles as wife, mother and grandmother with zest and passion. She never missed her daughters’ events, including gymnastics, field hockey, lacrosse, diving meets and marching band competitions. She proudly attended her grandsons’ concerts, sporting events, and welcomed them after school with snacks, collecting her signature “news, gossip and stories” along the way. When they were babies, she took each one of her grandsons one day a week so she could have individual time nurturing and bonding.

Celeste was an exceptional judge of character and built deep personal friendships. She was fiercely loyal and loved the time she spent with friends. Being a voracious reader, she never missed a book club and was a wealth of knowledge about a wide variety of books and authors. She and David enthusiastically supported the arts including being season ticket holders at the Kennedy Center and Arena Stage. They travelled the world with great friends and cherished their trips that included Africa, Australia, Greece, Italy, Galapagos Islands, Alaska, Scotland, Ireland, and Spain.Celeste did not like to sit still and loved to exercise. She walked multiple miles daily, attended classes and was a regular at the Kenwood Golf & Country Club Fitness Center. She found immense joy in the outdoors and had a true appreciation and respect for nature.

Both she and David spent summers at their happy place, her family camp at Green Lake in Dedham, Maine. They took boat rides, went on long walks, picked blueberries, cooked thousands of lobsters, and deeply enjoyed each other’s company. A sweet, compassionate, kind, generous, empathetic, and loving soul, she had a wonderful life.A celebration of both Celeste and David’s lives will take place on January 29, 2023, from 3pm-5pm at The Kenwood Golf & Country Club, 5601 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20816. In lieu of flowers donations would be welcome to the National Symphony Orchestra - https://www.kennedy-center.org/Support/memorial-gift/