Celine (Rosaleen) Sturgeon (23 May 1936 - 17 Dec 2015)

In loving memory of Celine (Rosaleen) Sturgeon who sadly passed away on 17th December 2015

Born 23 May 1936 in Drumkeeran County Leitrim
Daughter of Daniel McCormack and Rose McCormack (nee Clifford)
Her father was a Sergeant in the Garda and had moved around different areas from Leitrim to Sligo and finished his career in Culdaff in his native Donegal.

It was in Culdaff that Celine grew up with her sisters Maura and Anna and brother Hugh.
She attended the technical college and moved to Derry where she met and married David Sturgeon.
In 1976 Celine moved to Coventry England with her son Peter where she spent the rest of her life.

Celine left Donegal but Donegal never left her. She loved Donegal and her native country of Ireland and would proudly wear her Shamrock on St Patrick’s Day.

She loved music from Fats Domino to Dean Martin and Tony Bennett and all the great singers of the time.

She was a mother to Peter helped him through school and sixth form, onto marriage to Ann Marie. She was pleased her son would be marrying a girl from the next parish as she said one time, whose father came from the Isle of Doagh.

She loved her grandchildren dearly and they were a source of strength to her and brought her great joy and happiness, she lived to see her eldest grandchild Emer go to University and her youngest granddaughter go to secondary school. She was nanna Dene as they would call her and she had pictures of them proudly on the wall for all to see, barely no room for anything else.

Mum loved to talk, she was a social person and when ill health or bad weather stopped her from going out her phone was her lifeline. She would ring everyone, to catch up on what was going on. Peter and his family where so used to her calling, but now the calls have stopped a void has opened.

She was strong minded and alert to the very end and in many ways was her own boss. At the end she called the shots as she died peacefully in her sleep in her own home with her family not far away. On the day she died the parish priest Father Bob visited her to give her holy communion and at the same time she asked for absolution, she knew god was to call her soon.

Her final wish was for her son to bring her back home to be buried in Donegal with her parents. She will be at peace.