Cecelia Frances Essenwein's Obituary
Cecelia (Cile) Essenwein was born Cecelia Francis Slagle in Kittanning, PA on Oct 21, 1931, to Grace Rebecca Milligan and Lawrence Joseph Herman Peter Slagle. She had many fond memories of growing up with her sisters Patty and Betty, her dog Trixie, walking along the dike of the Allegheny River and visiting her grandparents in the Pennsylvania countryside. A beautiful young woman with dark brunette hair, she married her high school sweetheart Alfred (Essie) Essenwein on December 29, 1951. They were blessed with seven children: Sandy (12/1952-07/2007), Nancy (1954), Mike (1956), Tim (1957), Sue (1960), Diane (1963), and Mary (1968). Although it was a 24/7 job, she was always a wonderful mother.
In 1963, Cile and Essie moved their growing family to Pinellas Park FL. Cile dedicated herself to her family until the early 1970s when she joined the workforce as a secretary for Waddell & Reed, she worked there until her retirement in the mid 1990’s. In her retirement she started quilting and made quilts and pillows for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed the comfort and companionship of her dog Maggie. Cile loved traveling and was able to experience several amazing trips, including an Alaskan cruise. She was an awesome cook and was known for her chicken potpie, sauerbraten, peach custard pie and a lengthy list of other family favorites. After decades of cooking for a large family, Cile loved eating out or having someone (anyone) else cook for her. Oh, and my garsh, she loved margaritas.
Cile was married for 61 years until Essie’s passing in 2013. She took great joy in her children, 13 grandchildren and their spouses and was eventually blessed with 9 great-grandchildren. She always said her purpose in life was her family, and she lived it through a love that reached every one of us.
A strong woman until the end, the following family members will always love, remember and celebrate her:
Nancy & Steve, Kim, Kevin & Laura, Lucas and Faith
Mike & Jan, Lindsey & Tim, Henry, Evan, Eric & Jen
Tim & Joanne, Kristen, Julie, Alex & Madison
Sue & Steve, Elena & Taylor, Grayson & Jaycee
Diane & Mike, Mikey & Michelle and Karter, Emma & Jim
Mary & Gary, Dan & Brittany, Rhett, Maren, Jessie & Justin, Jaime and Jaiden
A memorial service is going to be held at a later date.
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