CELESTINE PATE BASS
Died Sept. 28, 2007
Celestine Pate Bass departed this life on Sept. 28, 2007. She was born in Raleigh, N.C., as the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence I. Pate. Celeste attended grade and middle school in Raleigh. The family moved to Goldsboro, N.C., in order for her mother to accept a teaching position in Wayne County. Thus, Celeste enrolled at Dillard High School as an eighth-grade student and graduated in the Class of 1943.
At age 16, she entered North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University, where she was inducted into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Celeste earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business education in June 1947, and accepted a teaching position in Pollocksville, N.C. She taught business classes and also served as the school's secretary until May 1950.
In April 1950, Celeste and Marshall B. Bass, her high school boyfriend, then an army officer, were married. She is survived by her husband and two daughters, Brenda Bass Roper, MD. (Fisk and Boston Universities) who now practices pediatric medicine in private practice in Los Angeles, Calif., and Marsha Bass, MBA (Hampton University and University of Wisconsin), who is Executive Vice-Presi-dent/Chief Operating Officer and partner with MayfieldGentry Realty Advi-sors, LLC, headquartered in Detroit, Mich. Celeste has four grandchildren, Ashley Bass-Atwater, a graduate of Univer-sity of Michigan, Courtney Bass-Atwater, a sophomore at University of Maryland, Morgan Bass Roper, a sophomore at University of Pennsylvania and Edward Grant Bass Roper, a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, Calif. Celeste is also survived by her cousins, Anthony and Sheila James of O'Fallon, Miss., Richard Pate, M.D., of Los Angeles, Calif., Ivy Ann and Rueben Estrada of Los Angeles, Calif., Robert and Narissa Johnson of Washington, D.C.; her sister-in-law, Dr. Wilveria B. Atkinson of Morehead City, N.C; nephews and nieces, Brad Atkinson of Morehead City, N.C., Levi and Grace Hamilton of Goldsboro, N.C., Lamont Hamilton of Wilson, N.C., Phyllis Bass; and great-nieces, great-nephews and special friends.
Celeste spent most of her adult life as a wife, mother and homemaker raising her two children and helping to raise her four grandchildren. She spent much of her time traveling with her grandchildren in the United States, Europe, Mexico, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. During her husband's military career, she lived in Hanua and Frankfurt, Germany, Monrovia, Liberia, Fort Benning, Ga., Prairie View, Texas, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Fort Meade, Md., Norfolk and Hampton, Va.
She was a member of Saint Anne's Episcopal Church. The funeral will be held at Saint Timothy's Episcopal Church at 2575 Parkway Drive, 27103, in Winston-Salem on Friday, Oct. 5, 2007. Father Hal T. Ley Hayek, Rector at Saint Anne's Episcopal Church, will preside.
There will be visitation with the family at the church beginning at 11 a.m. The funeral service will start at 12 noon followed by lunch at the church.
Burial services are expected to be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a date and time to be determined. Funeral services are managed jointly by Hamilton Funeral Chapel of Goldsboro and Wilson and Clark S. Brown Funeral Home of Winston-Salem.
The Bass family extends its greatest appreciation to the health care providers of Forsyth Hospital under the direction of Lawrence Nycum, MD., the Hospice and Palliative Care Center team and Ms. Minnie Baker, Ms. Doretha Owens, Ms. Clara Lee, Ms. Donna Clayton, Ms. Melanie Hicks and Ms. Ola Ingram, the in-home health care providers. We thank you for your professionalism and deep sense of dedication and commitment.
The family acknowledges and appreciates the highest level of medical support provided by the hospice team. Accordingly, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that you join with us in making a contribution in memory of the life of Celestine Pate Bass to The Hospice and Palliative Care Center, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27103.
Condolences may be e-mail to estellaba@aol.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on October 3, 2007 3:14 PM