Celia (Himes) Elliott

May 11, 1923 – January 1, 2017

Celia, beloved and cherished wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend went to heaven on Jan. 1, 2017. She was a member of a pioneer Centerville, OH family, was born and resided in Centerville for life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Nevin in 2011, after 66 years of marriage. Celia was a member of the Dorothy Lane American Baptist Church where she played the organ for 26 years. She graduated from The University of Dayton at age 62 after dropping out of college when WWII began. During WWII, she went to work for the Dayton Daily News as a reporter until she married and started a family. She was a frequent columnist for the Kettering Oakwood Times and the Dayton Daily News Mature Living section. Celia was honored in September 2016 by the Centerville-Washington Foundation for all her years of volunteer service to the city and township. She received the Gold Watch Award of the Senior Citizens of Greater Dayton in 1995, was named to Centerville high School’s Outstanding Alumna in 1996. She was elected to the Centerville Charter Commission in 1958 which drafted the city’s first charter. She was elected to the Centerville Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame. In 2009 she was recognized as a Writer Laureate by the Dayton Woman’s Literary Club—only the fourth member to gain this honor in the club’s 110-year history. Another of her many accomplishments was being a founding member of the Centerville-Washington History Society, President, and Trustee Emeritus. This organization was founded at a meeting in her living room in 1966 and has continued to grow for 50 years. She authored numerous local history books. Additionally, she was a member of the Centerville-Washington Township Library Board for 50 years and saw it grow from one small building to the best in class library it is today. In addition to all her volunteer work, Celia was a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. She started as a young child attending games with her father at Crosley Field in the early 1930’s. She continued to watch the Reds through the 2016 season and knew all about the players’ names and how they were performing. Celia is survived by two daughters—Susan Weber (Ray) of Versailles, KY and Anne Platt (Steve) of Shorewood, MN. She has four grandchildren—Matt Mullen (Danielle) IN, Laura Tanner (Jeff) Versailles, KY, Andrew Rausch (Dawn) MN and Jonathan Rausch (Jamie) OH and 10 great grandchildren, as well as three step grandsons and their families. A memorial service will be held at noon on Wednesday January 4th at Dorothy Lane American Baptist Church, 960 W. Dorothy Lane in Kettering, OH, followed by the burial at the Centerville, OH cemetery. Visitation will be held prior to the memorial service at the church from 10 AM – noon. TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-FAR HILLS CHAPEL, in Centerville, OH will be handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Dorothy Lane American Baptist Church, 960 W. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, OH 45409 or the Centerville-Washington Historical Society, 89 West Franklin St., Centerville OH 45459, or a charity of choice. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.