Louis John Celli Sr's Obituary
Louis J Celli Sr, age 84, passed away March 22, 2018.
He was a Great-grandfather, grandfather, father, brother, mentor, friend, and soul mate.
Lou Celli led a magnificent life and is survived by his brother Gerry, sister Barbara, son Lou Jr., and daughter Rina. Growing up in Boston with his parents, brothers , sister, aunts, and uncles, his parents both spoke Italian but brought their children up speaking English. After high school Lou worked as a laborer with Lavoli Construction- building many of the houses still dotting the Boston landscape today- before he enlisted in the Army National Guard and was sent to Germany after WWII, and then to Korea to fight in the Korean war with the 9th Infantry Division.
After leaving the service, Lou met and married Roberta (Bobbi) Hynes and found a job with Raytheon corporation. Together with their two children Lou put himself through college earning a degree in Electronical Engineering, and over the next 35 years worked his way up to senior manager before retiring and moving from New Hampshire to Florida. Retirement for Lou was more of a myth than a reality as he became an icon in the Piney Point community serving in various leadership positions in local government, including Vice President, and eventually President of the Piney Point Home Owners Association in 2010, all the while making important improvements in his community and starting an annual picnic that has been an ongoing tradition among Piney Point residents for 15 years.
As part of Lou’s long life of love, after his marriage to Bobbi ended, he remarried and raised a stepson, Michael Archambault, who he has remained close with over the years. Once settled in Florida, Lou met and romanced local park resident Erna Truskowski who he shared 14 wonderful years with as they traveled and cruised the oceans together until his final days, as she sat vigil with him at the Bay Pines VA hospital and helped see him off to his final adventure where he will meet up with his parents and brothers in heaven.
Lou was a member of a number of local and national associations including The American Legion, and the Shriners, and was a life member of The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, was a member of the Manatee Lodge Number 31, Tranquility Lodge 2000, and was a 41 year member of his Blue lodge, the William Sewall Gardner-Kilwinning Lodge, as well as a life member of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) of America. Lou is loved and celebrated by friends and family all over the country and will be remembered in Piney Point for years to come as they have dedicated their annual March picnic to Lou and will forever be known as the Lou Celli Memorial Annual Picnic.
A small private ceremony will be held for family on Sunday evening at the Skyway Memorial Gardens, and a full celebration of Lou’s life will be held at the Piney Point recreation hall later this year on Saturday, October 20th, 2018 where all are invited to share in the memory and life of Louis John Celli Sr..
In Lou’s memory please considering making a small donation to the Bay Pines Hospice unit, where they use the money to provide comfort items to veterans, knit blankets, and stock simple necessities for family members who spend time with their veteran in their final hours while in their care. The address is:
Bay Pines VAHCS
Hospice and Palliative Care Unit, Ward 5C
P.O. Box 5005
Bay Pines, Florida 33744
Arrangements Under the Care of Skyway Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home 5200 US Hwy 19 N, Palmetto, FL 34221.
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