General Notes

My Mother,
Celestia was born in Harrodsburg, Indiana on a farm. Her parents were
James and Nettie Owens McGlothlin. She got married at the age of 16 to
her first husband Bert Sharp. They had 3 sons, Bert, Jimmy, and John.
They lived for a while in Chicago but then divorced.
Celestia lived with her sister Bretta with the 3 small boys for about a
year until meeting Wilfred. They were married in 1930 and lived in
Indianapolis until 1961. Wilfred and Celestia had 2 children together,
Wilfred Jr. born July 1944 and Mary Catherine born February 1948. Wilfred
Jr. had a heart problem and died 12 hours after his birth.
Her son Jimmy was killed at the age of 13 when he ran out in front of a
car. Her son Bert was killed in an accident on his job. He died at the
age of 30. How tragic for a mother to lose 3 children. She endured much
more than most people can even imagine.
With only 2 children left, John and Mary Catherine were both her pride
and joy. She always stood by them and helped them in any way she could.
She adored her grandchildren also and was a big part of their life.
Celestia was not an educated person but had a heart of gold. She was an
excellent housekeeper and babysitter for everyone. She would cook big
meals everyday and always had a smile. She always had a word of guidance
for you too whether you wanted to hear it or not.
She was a very hard worker. She was employed at Block's dept. store in
downtown Indianapolis for many years until her and Wilfred bought a
restaurant. Celestia was a very good cook. The customers really enjoyed
coming in for home cooked meals. She would bake the nicest looking pies
you ever seen and they were really tasty.
After moving to Bloomington, Indiana, Celestia worked for Indiana
University until she retired.
Celestia was always helping others too. I believe she took care of every
one in her family at one time or another. She would have been an
excellent nurse. She seemed to always know what to do no matter what
illness they had.
In 1985 she lost her son John. He had a heart attack while on a fishing
boat in Florida. Celestia was never quite the same after his death. I
believe it was just too much for her. Her health started failing. Her
memory was failing too. She stayed with her daughter Mary for 5 more
years and then suffered a stroke which she could not recover from. She
was confined to a nursing home until her death in 1993.
Celestia had 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was a member of the Babtist Church and attended church faithfully
every Sunday.