Celeste G. French

Celeste G. French, 84, passed away peacefully of natural causes, on Thursday, June 23, 2016, in her home at Greencroft, Goshen. She enjoyed good health, a keen intellect, and warm conversations with family and friends to her last day.

Celeste was born on December 18, 1931, to Bessie and Edward Gourdeau, both medical professionals who helped to instill in Celeste a lifelong devotion to music, literature, and the pursuit of knowledge.  She attended Ramona Convent Secondary School, and Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles California, where she studied music and piano performance. On September 10, 1955, she married Robert Leonard French, and together they raised their children, traveled the world, and reveled in each other’s company. Celeste taught piano lessons in her home, while her husband, Bob, worked as a rocket scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena, California. Both before and after his retirement, Celeste and Bob embraced life, cultivating deep and lasting friendships, pursuing hobbies enthusiastically, and doting on their children and grandchildren.

After the devastating loss of her adored and adoring husband, Celeste moved from her home state of California to Goshen in 2010. Here, she marveled at the changing of the seasons, treasured her memories, brightened her companions’ days with smiles and wry humor, and used her seemingly endless vocabulary to win many a Scrabble game.

In addition to her parents, Celeste was preceded in death by Robert French, her beloved husband of 50 years; siblings, Dan Gourdeau and Percy Gourdeau; and granddaughter, Becky. Celeste is survived by sons, Chris (Patty) French, of Goshen and Tim French, of Monrovia, CA; and daughter Mary Celeste French, of Madison, AL. She is also survived by granddaughters Erika, Jessie, Lizzie, and Abigail Celeste; and by a nephew, two nieces and many loving friends.

A memorial service will be held at a later date to be announced, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart, where Celeste was a member. The family would welcome memorial contributions in her name to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), or to Habitat for Humanity.