Major County, Oklahoma

© Glenn

RINGWOOD — Celesta Schmidt Thomas was born Aug. 6, 1911, near Goltry, to John and Lena Base Schmidt.

She attended Golden Valley School, a one-room schoolhouse, as a child. She then enrolled at Oklahoma Bible Academy for her freshman and sophomore years of high school, returing to Goltry to graduate from high school in 1929. She went back to Oklahoma Bible Academy for another year to take a special Bible course.

Celesta spent the summer of 1936 with Rev. and Mrs. Theodore Epp in Cherokee in an evangelistic outreach in that city.

On July 11, 1937, she married Henry Thomas. They lived on a farm near Ringwood for five years. Then, they bought a farm, where they lived and worked for the next 20 years.

They moved to Ringwood in 1962, but continued to farm for several more years.

Celesta was active in Goltry Mennonite Church as a pianist and Sunday school teacher before her marriage. She later transferred her membership to West New Hopedale Mennonite Church, where she was active for many years in music and Sunday school ministry, as well as in the Ladies Missions Society, serving as secretary and treasurer. She also worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship for several years.

Her husband, Henry, entered a nursing home in Enid in September 1981 and entered the Lord's presence in March 1983.

Celesta continued to live in her home in Ringwood until November 2007. She then moved to The Methodist Home in Enid, where she lived until her home-going.

She is survived by one sister, Elfrieda Jones of Lincoln, Neb.; 19 nieces and nephews; and friends and neighbors.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, three sisters and their husbands, one brother and his wife and two nephews.

Funeral service for Celesta will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011, at West New Hopedale Church, now located at Indian Creek Village Winery, west of Ringwood, with Pastor Herbert Epp officiating. Burial will follow in West New Hopedale Cemetery, north of Ringwood, with arrangements by Lanman Funeral Home Inc., Helena. The casket will be open before the service at the church.

Memories may be shared with the family at www.lanmanmemorials.com.

(Submitted by family)

|West New Hopedale Cemetery| |Major County Cemetery Page| |Home|

---

[an error occurred while processing this directive]