Celeste Maria passed away early this morning, October 1st, 2010, at her home in Adirondack New York. Celeste conducted a furious and very courageous seven year battle with cancer but the cancer finally won, but just barely.



She was born January 3rd 1956 in Mineola New York of her parents Dr. Joseph and Patricia Mangiardi; she was predeceased by her father and is survived by her mother of New Smyrna Beach and Schroon Lake. Celeste was the youngest of the nine Mangiardi children who grew up in Freeport New York and who quite happily and very colorfully spent their summers in Schroon Lake at the camp their father built on the East Shore in 1956. Her brothers and sisters are Maureen of New Smyrna Beach, Manhattan and Schroon Lake New York; Eugene and wife Ann of Anchorage and Homer Alaska; Sharon of Providence Rhode Island; Gerard and Ellen Lewis of Croton-On-Hudson and Cabo San Lucas Mexico; Dr. John and wife Pascal of Maur Switzerland; Joseph II and wife Heidi of Nipomo California, Robert of Hollywood California, sister Denise and husband Dr. Andreas Janigen of London; and Brother in Law Adrian Oxbrow of South Yarra, Victoria Australia. She was the very popular Aunt of many well loved nieces and nephews and the Lake will not seem the same to them without her (but come back anyways please.) Celeste’s children are daughter Sarah Merrill and companion Travis Jones and grandchildren Ryelynn, Talon and baby Celeste Ella of Wasilla Alaska; son Michael Wilson of Boulder Colorado and Medina-Sedonia Spain; daughter Jenny Wilson of Boulder, and her very special son Daniel Joseph Wilson of Adirondack. She is also survived by her devoted Father in Law, Kenneth P. Wilson of Atascadero California; and by her Mother in Law Carrol Roth of Holiday Florida who is still here and taking care of us all.



Celeste was a graduate of Schroon Lake Central School, Adirondack Community College, and Syracuse University where she earned a B.A. in Psychology/Sociology and later received her Master of Social Work Degree from Adelphi University. Celeste spent a long and fulfilling career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and held many positions in the field of psychotherapy including with Association of Retarded Citizens, Port Henry New York; State of Alaska Family and Youth Services; Life Quest Community Mental Health Center in Wasilla Alaska, Jefferson Center for Mental Health in Lakewood Colorado where she was a School based psychotherapist and counseled many students after the Columbine tragedy; most recently she provided her shut in patients with in home counseling under contract with Warren County Health Services.



Celeste was cared for by many very fine doctors and nurses and her family especially wishes to thank Dr’s Helen Busch, Michael Castro, Eric Pillemer and Howard Bruckner, as well as Nurses Steve, Lynn Rodriguez, Heather Walker, Sue Bevilaqua and Anna “Petie” Sabia. There were many others who reached out to help us and we will be forever grateful to them and especially to “Saints” Lizzie, Ellen and Naomi; without you we are not sure how we would have survived; thank you so very much for taking such good care of us all.



Celeste spent the past 9 years lovingly restoring her home, the “1840 Bush Cottage” in Adirondack and with the occasional help of her husband, (when he wasn’t hunting), but mostly with the skilled help of her good friend Dan “The Carpenter Man” Wallace and with the occasional help of our old friend George Lesson, (when he could stop playing with the dogs and Daniel.) Celeste loved the outdoors her entire life and camped and hiked in the woods of the Adirondack Mountains of New York, in her beloved Alaska, and in Colorado. Her greatest outdoor love was the water and she especially loved to swim with Daniel and sail and row her little boat “Pea Green”. Celeste was well known as a great water skier ever since the age of five when her brothers screwed her Keds to an old pair of skis and got her up first try; and she taught every child she could round up to ski (by last count there were over 20 that she helped get up on a slalom ski for the first time). Celeste was known as a masterful fisherperson and spent many days fishing in the ocean and in the brooks, creeks, ponds, lakes and rivers of New York, Alaska and Colorado. (We think that she may have chosen today to go to the big fishing hole in the sky as her New York Fishing License expired yesterday ;). She was also known for her talents as a flower gardener and flower poacher. She also loved to cane chairs, read, knit and write poetry and go to bed early, but best of all she loved to talk on the phone…. She will always be remembered for her cooking and especially for her wonderful Italian Spaghetti sauce just like her grandmother taught her to make. Mostly Celeste will be remembered as a passionate friend and all of her friends were her best friends; it can be said that she had more true best friends than most people have even passing acquaintances and each and every one knew that they were passionately loved by someone who really knew how to love…



Celeste instructed that us that her memorial will be held here in Adirondack next summer so that all her family and friends, many of whom traveled from all around the country and the world to see her this summer (thanks Ali) could come back to Schroon Lake for the good swimming weather, and there will be a rather large and noisy PARTY next July 9th here at her home in Adirondack and to which every single person she has ever known is invited. In lieu of store bought flowers she asked that you just pick some daisies as you are driving over here and she also requested that you please bring your musical instrument if you can play even a little, and that Robbie play “Hey Jude”…



Celeste’s last words to us all were “Tell them all I love them, and tell them not to argue.”



Love,



Kip and Daniel Wilson

and my love also C, i miss you. adrian