Celia Gerlach

Celia Lovina Gerlach, age 95, resident of San Angelo for 32 years, died on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, after being blessed with good health and a happy active life for many years. She was married to Werner F. Gerlach on December 31, 1938 at the Park Street Brethren Church in Ashland, Ohio. Celia was born on April 27, 1917 in Chicago, IL. to Ira and Pauline Senseman. She moved to Ashland Ohio with her mother, two brothers and a sister when her father died when Celia was four years old. She grew up in Ashland where she attended elementary school, Ashland High School, and Ashland College (now Ashland University.) She continued her education in Cleveland, Ohio where she graduated from the Wilcox College of Commerce. In 1939 she and her husband moved to Washington, DC, where for 42 years she and her husband were members of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, and its successor, St. Peter's Lutheran church. During the time of merging the two churches St. Stephen's and Atonement Lutheran Churches into St. Peters, she did all of the volunteer bookkeeping for the years during which two churches were sold and a new building was constructed for the new church. In the early fifties, her only equipment for this consisted of a pencil, a book for the records and a non-electric adding machine. She served as a very active volunteer at the National Lutheran Home for the Aged in Washington, DC, and in Rockville, MD after the new home was constructed. First, as membership chairman for the Women's Auxiliary when the membership of over 20,000 came from four states and the District of Columbia, then as treasurer of the organization. For twelve years she served on the Admissions Evaluation Committee for the home; eight of those years she was chairman of the committee. From 1974 until 1987, she worked as administrator in her husband's companies: Gerlach Graphic Consultations and Techno-Graphic Instruments and was able to travel with him all over the United States and to many European companies where he traveled for consultations and instrument sales. In 1981 they moved to San Angelo, partially because many years before, an article in Money magazine had listed it as one of the best small cities in which to live. They visited the Chamber of Commerce here, were favorably impressed with the information they received and ended up buying a home in Bentwood. She flew home to Cheverly, MD and sold their home the next day. They were active members of Calvary Lutheran Church ever since they moved to San Angelo. She was a member and treasurer of the Calvary Lutheran Church Forty-Nine Plus group for many years. She and Werner enjoyed tennis, golf, swimming, bicycling and dancing. They were members of the Terpsichorean Dance Club and LaPaloma Dance Club where they served many terms on both boards and made many friends and enjoyed so many good times. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Werner F. Gerlach in November 2007, and two brothers; Duane Senseman and Roger Senseman. She is survived by her children, Diana L. Cooper of Beltsville, MD and Joyce O'Connell, beloved caretaker and her husband, Jim of San Angelo; by her grandchildren: C. Edward Cooper of Gaithersburg, MD; Dorothy L Aydin and her husband, Bulent of Itsanbul, Turkey; Colonel Brian O'Connell, and his wife, Nuray, of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Matthew D. O'Connell and his wife, Brittany of Portland, Texas; Amanda N. Bogard and husband, Ross of Williamsburg, VA; and by eleven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister; Lovina Resick of Merritt Island, Fl. and Frieda Gerlach Stelling, her beloved sister-in-law of San Angelo plus many beloved nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the Gerlach Memorial Fund for the Building Fund at Calvary Lutheran Church at 3231 College Hills Blvd., San Angelo, Texas or the Werner and Celia Gerlach Scholarship Fund at Angelo State University. Do not mourn her death, but rather celebrate her life, at a memorial service at 11:00am Wednesday February 20, 2013 at Calvary Lutheran Church with Pastor Kurt Fangmeier, officiating. Arrangements are with Robert Massie Funeral Home.