Obituary: Celia Keeling, 94, Bardstown
Celia Keeling, 94, of Bardstown, died Tuesday, July 23, 2024, peacefully at Baptist Health Hardin Hospital. She was born Nov. 14, 1929, in Cincinnati to the late Earl Hagan and Ruby Franklin Hagan.
She was a member of the initial 1948 graduating class of Old Kentucky Home High School. She served as a branch librarian at Cox’s Creek in 1968, became an aide at the Nelson County Public Library in 1970, and then the Library Director from 1985 until her retirement in 1995. She was an avid genealogist and contributed lots of research during and after her time with the library. In 2011, she was recognized by the Kentucky Historical Society as their 2011 Lifetime Dedication to History Award recipient for 30 years of preserving and making historical records available to the public and other researchers.
She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a charter member of the Nelson County Genealogical Round Table, a member of the Nelson County Historical Society, Bardstown Women’s Club and an East Fork Homemaker.
She was a member of the Cox’s Creek Baptist Church where she served in various roles. She also wrote an extensive update of the history of Cox’s Creek Baptist Church for its 200th anniversary in 1985 and wrote a history for Wickland Baptist Church. She also found that she was a direct descendent to some of the first pastors at Cox’s Creek going back to 1785.
She quilted, did needlework stitching, scrapbooked, and in her later years was an avid jigsaw puzzler. She created extensive family trees for both sides of her family. She enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and visits from family and friends.
The family would like to thank those who cared for her during her last few weeks of rehab at Signature Health in Elizabethtown and the nurses at Baptist Health Hardin who were so lovingly kind and compassionate in their care of her.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one sister, Francis Hornett; and her husband, Edward Keeling.
Survivors include two sons, James (Sheila) Keeling of Bardstown and Raymond (Roxanne) Keeling of Elizabethtown; four grandchildren, Stewart (Dana) Keeling, Jonathan Keeling, Tasha Brown and Aaron Keeling; and five great-grandchildren.
The funeral is 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at the Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home with Bro. Jim Bratcher officiating. Burial is in Highland Memory Gardens in Mount Washington.
Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, 2024, and 9-11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024 at the funeral home.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to Gideons International or the Cox’s Creek Baptist Church.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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