Celestine "Celeste" Williams

Celestine (Celeste) Barner-Williams passed away on February 27, 2023 at the age of 71 at Upper Chesapeake Hospital, Bel Air, MD. She was the middle child born to Felton Lee and Gertrude Maggie Lashley-Barner and the wife of Leonard Otis Williams and the mother of Leonard Corey Williams.

Celeste enjoyed being with family and friends. Before her decline in health, Celeste would plan and look forward to visiting restaurants (especially if she had coupons or lunch time specials), day trips to the Pennsylvania Amish areas, or drive to Havre de Grace on a pretty day to walk the boardwalk with Leonard and eat ice cream. Celeste enjoyed NFL and NBA; her favorite team was the Baltimore Ravens. She also enjoyed watching classic movies and spending quiet time reading.

Celeste graduated from Edgewood High School in 1969 and continued her education at the University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) and graduated with a bachelor’s in education. For approximately 30 years, Celeste was employed by Harford County Public Schools; 5 years as elementary school teacher and the remaining 25 years as Home Teacher.

In July 1975, Celeste dedicated her life to Jehovah God. She enjoyed being a student of the bible and learning about God’s promises through his son, Christ Jesus. Participating in the field ministry and having discussions with others brought her joy. Because of her faith and loyalty to her dedication, Celeste is now in Jehovah God’s memory.

In addition to her husband, Leonard, Celeste is survived by their son, Leonard Corey, his wife, Chantel, and two grandsons, Caleb and Corbin. She is also survived by sisters Pamela Maria Fant (Charles); Elaine Darden (Charles), Markia Brock; brother, Felton Barner (Yvonne); sister-in-law Martina O’Neal (Gary), and many nieces and nephews.

Also left to mourn Celeste’s passing is the Joppa Congregation, where she was a member for 48 years. With the support of her son, Corey, daughter-in-law, Chantel, family, and those in the congregation, Celeste would often say she never felt alone or forgotten!