Celeste M. Hoegler

Celeste M. Hoegler, 73, of Centerville, OH passed away peacefully at Kettering Memorial Hospital on May 25, 2020 with her husband at her bedside.

Celeste was born to Earl and Josephine (Pressler) Johnson, January 10, 1947 in Van Buren Township (later Kettering, OH). She attended Southern Hills Elementary School, Dwight L. Barnes Jr. High School, and graduated Fairmont West High School - Class of 1965. She achieved an Associate in Business Degree from Miami-Jacobs College (1967), a B.S (Cum Laude) in Business Administration (Organizational Management emphasis) from Urbana University (2003), a Paralegal Certification from Capital University Law School (2004), the Inaugural Class of the Kettering Leadership Academy (2004), and a Master of Public Administration degree from Wright State University in 2009. Her professional working career included The Dayton Power and Light Company, Wright State University (College of Marketing), and the Dayton Progress Corporation (aka: Lamina).

Celeste was married to Michael Hoegler in 1971. Together for exactly 49-years, their individual strengths were perfectly complementary. She is survived by her husband and their two married daughters, Alyson (Corey) Veit of Columbus, OH, and Lauren (Jason) McNeily of Springboro, OH. She also leaves eight wonderful grandchildren and five nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death last year by her sister, Winifred (Johnson) Soltz.

In 1997, Celeste encountered a very rare form of neuroendocrine cancer. Five years after the tumor’s removal she was told she was cancer free, and 20-yrs later suffered an extremely rare re-appearance that she valiantly battled to the end. As a participant in the Wright State Medical School Donor Program, she hoped her medical case history would provide researchers with clues to aid other cancer victims. She highly valued the incredible doctors, staff, and facilities at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at OSU in Columbus, OH

Business administration and organizational skills were a paramount part of Celeste’s life. She and other Fairmont East and West graduates of 1965 began an outreach effort in the mid-1970’s to ensure that their nearly one-thousand classmates could maintain contact with each other wherever they lived around the world. Over the past 50-years, finding “lost” classmates was a true labor of love that provided Celeste incredible personal satisfaction and amazing friendships. Consistently - from her grade school days in the Centerville system to her high school days at Fairmont - she cared deeply for her family, friends and neighbors. It was her greatest strength. She regularly took flowers or meals to the home of sick neighbors and friends. She called the husband or wife of a sick spouse offering help and consolation. And she always ensured that every child who crossed her threshold was safe, healthy and happy.

Hearing the funny foibles of her grandchildren and being with them was her joy. She loved to watch videos and hear the sounds of happy children. She was also her daughters’ greatest fan, cheerleader and protector. Celeste loved her kitchen and enjoyed the processes of cooking -- collecting recipes, finding ingredients, testing them on willing subjects, and preparing the gift of good food, drink, and conversation for friends and family. And she always broke her own rules for M&M Peanuts, Esther-Price and Dairy-Queen! It is almost fitting in retrospect, that on Memorial Day when we honor our fallen heroes, our personal hero took to her wings. She will forever be loved, as she loved all of us, and sorely missed by so many.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Celeste on Thursday, June 25, 2020 from 3:30PM to 6:30PM at the Westbrock Funeral Home located at 5980 Bigger Road in Kettering, OH. A solemn moment will occur at 6:00PM, as family and friends engage in prayer and eulogy led by Ms Robin Barnes McCarthy; providing a moment for personal reflection — remembering and celebrating Celeste’s life, her connections with us, her love, kindness, and incredible support to her family, friends, and community.

“In lieu of flowers, on-line donations can be made in Celeste’s memory to the OSU Neuro Endocrine Tumors Research and Program Fund (310389) via:

https://www.giveto.osu.edu/makeagift/?fund=310389

or by making a check payable to: "The OSU Foundation" and adding a separate note that states, “Fund #310389, in the name of Celeste Hoegler”.

The check mailing address is: The OSU Foundation, PO Box 710811, Columbus, OH 43271