Our dearest wife and mother Diane Celeste Flanagan passed away on October 25, 2024 at the age of 79. The world will be a bit dimmer without her physical presence, but we are comforted by Christ’s promise of eternal life that Celeste firmly believed in.
Celeste was a small town girl who cherished growing up on the family farm in Mountain surrounded by the beauty of the North Dakota Plains. She took great pride in her Icelandic heritage as well as the privilege of being an American. She was born in Fargo, ND while her Dad fought in WWII for the freedoms she so valued.
Along with her brother Wayne, Celeste was the pride and joy of her parents, Orville and Judy Bernhoft. Celeste looked back on her childhood with fondness. Her memories of living down the road from her grandparents, adventures with her cousins, cheerleading and dances with friends and family gatherings filled with lively chatter made for a happy childhood. She shared a rare and beautiful bond with her parents who she felt blessed to care for in their later years. She carried on their legacy of faith, service and love of family throughout her life.
Celeste was married to Lynn Flanagan for 59 years. They built a life together, spending their early married years moving to follow Lynn’s education career, making lifelong friends along the way, before settling in Grafton, ND. Celeste worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 31 years. She found great fulfillment in her work and was the epitome of hard work. She had a servant heart and never missed an opportunity to brighten someone’s day. She lived vibrantly and loved big.
Celeste devoted her life to her daughters, Christy and Carmen. She was the best of moms who showed up for everything and was always there offering support, wisdom and love in abundance. Her guiding light in their lives will be deeply missed.
Celeste loved being an Amma to Julia, Emily, Molly, Sophie and Drew. Her D’JEMS as she called them brought her immense joy. She showered them with love and beamed with pride when talking about them.
Her vision loss due to macular degeneration limited her opportunities in retirement years. Blindness eventually took away Celeste’s independence, but she never complained. She accepted the disability, remained strong in her faith and continued to see a world full of hope.
The last few years were a heartbreaking journey of watching Celeste slowly fade away from us due to Alzheimer’s. Through it all, she never lost her smile and warm heart. We are so grateful for that gift. It was a fitting final act of love.
Celeste is survived by her husband Lynn; daughters Christy Flanagan Stern (Chuck) and Carmen Flanagan-McShane (John); grandchildren Julia, Emily, Molly, Sophie and Drew; her brother Wayne (Loretta) and many cherished extended family and friends.
Celeste spent her last year at Rivers of Life Memory Care. We are immensely grateful to the staff and owners for their loving care and dedication to preserving mom’s dignity to her final day.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 11:00 am at Vikur Lutheran Church in Mountain, ND. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be at Mountain Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to Vikur Society Church, P.O. Box 145, Mountain, ND 58262.
An online guestbook is available at: www.tollefsonfuneralhome.com
The Tollefson Funeral Home of Edinburg is in charge of the arrangements.