Ruth Ann Celtnieks

Pinkie was born on August 24, 1942 in Washington, DC to Kemp and Ruth Turner. She grew up on Thayer Avenue in Silver Spring and spent summers at the family’s modest cottage in Herald Harbor, MD. Pinkie graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1960. She married Edgars Celtnieks Jr. in 1962, and they raised three sons (Larss, Karl, and Kurt) in Wheaton, MD. In 1985, the marriage ended in divorce, but Pinkie and Ed remained close friends and confidants over the years.

Thereafter, Pinkie became a proud federal employee, first with the Department of Health and Human Services, and later with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives until she retired in 2007. In retirement, Pinkie indulged her lifelong passions for gardening and all things coastal at a cottage of her own on Cobb Island, MD.

She is survived by her former husband Ed, her sons Larss (Jeanne), Karl, and Kurt (Liz), and her grandchildren Julia, Lara, Joseph, Kendall, Kaley, Penny, and Eli. Pinkie will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Consistent with her wishes, a memorial service will be held at Kittamaqundi Community Church, 5410 Leaf Treader Way. Columbia, MD 21044 on January 21 at 11:00 a.m. (her ashes will be scattered privately later). The memorial service will be shared online via Zoom through the church website at kc-church.org.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation at carcinoid.kindful.com or the Kittamaqundi Community Church Sacred Garden at kc-church.org/donate. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared on the Witzke Funeral Homes website: www.witzkefuneralhomes.com