Celeste F. Dahm

Celeste F. Dahm, 80, died October 19, 2021 at McLeod Seacoast Medical Center.

Born on April 1, 1941 in Los Angeles, CA, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Mary Rossiter Killen.

Celeste had a zest for life and was always ready to go and enjoy life. Living through a difficult childhood seemed to encourage her to be involved in many activities and cherish her time with friends and family.

She was a loving wife of Doug Percy for 18 years. They had two sons, Rick Bryan and Kirk Douglas Percy. Their father taught them the importance of hard work and they developed a love for carpentry and building homes. She was extremely proud of her boys for building their own houses. She made it a point to make sure the boys had a wonderful childhood and was always a positive and happy influence. Her life revolved around the boys and joining them in their favorite activities. Some of Rick’s favorite memories of his mom where when she would take the boys to the Pennsylvania family farm for vacation, riding horses, riding 3-wheelers, and fishing. Celeste would play with Rick’s girls, Laura and Alex, in her pool in Florida. Kirk enjoyed that his mom could keep up with him-flying, dancing, boating, and would even ride his motorcycle with him. Her sons’ friends would joke about taking their mom out on a date because she was so attractive and fun. Celeste was also so proud of her sons’ naval accomplishments and made sure to attend both of their boot camps, which meant the world to them.

Celeste was the proud grandmother of Alex and Laura, and the proud great-grandmother of Alaina, Roman, and Ryder. When she was healthy and able, she so enjoyed going on family trips. In the last few years with her health waning, all she could do was show off her beautiful grandchildren’s pictures to family and friends.

She had a multitude of different jobs, which promoted her ‘gift of gab’ and her ability to get along with anyone. She worked as a real estate assistant, sold phones and was a waste management secretary. One of her favorite jobs was working at the Ohio State Fairgrounds at the horse coliseum. Horses were definitely one of her passions as she was an avid rider and loved having her own horse, Moore, for many years. She also loved barrel racing and showed horses. Celeste even went horseback riding on the beach for her 80th birthday this past April. Her horse passion was displayed in her Southwestern attire she loved to wear and to watch old Westerns on the TV. The last several years as her health failed, she would watch movies all day long. Her favorite was the romantic movie, “A Mirror Has Two Faces”. Another passion of hers was playing cards. She was happiest in her last home, in Calabash, NC, where she was on three card leagues and “winning the kitty”.

Celeste married her second husband, Gordon Dahm in 1986, who she met while she was working at a golf course.

We cannot forget how she loved Schnauzers. She had several over the years and named them Schnapps I, Schnapps II, and Schnapps III, along with Heidi and Fritz.

For the last three years when Celeste was not in the hospital, she enjoyed Kirk and Janet taking her to the beach, to shows, to The Aquarium, sailing, and boating.

Celeste was so loved and will be missed by all who knew her. She lived life to its fullest every day and instilled the same attitude to her two sons. We always said Celeste was like a cat with nine lives. The problem was that she was on her third cat. Celeste was a fighter until the end.

Mrs. Dahm is survived by her children, Kirk Percy (Janet); Rick Percy (Angela); two grandchildren, Laura Percy Ward (Cody); Alexandria Percy Steele (RJ).; and three great grandchildren, Alaina Ward; Roman Steele; and Ryder Ward. Her husband of 32 years, Gordon Dahm, predeceases her.

Services will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to SS American Memorial Foundation (whose mission is to facilitate aid to military warriors and their families) or to the EQUUS Foundation (whose mission is to assure the welfare of horses throughout their lives).

A guestbook is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.

Lee Funeral Home & Crematory of Little River/North Myrtle Beach is serving the family.