October 3, 1917 - January 4, 2011

At the age of 93, on January 4th, after having breakfast and lingering to chat with her tablemates, exchanging hugs and greetings with staff members at Ridgeview Lodge, Flo gently took her last breath on the way back to her room for her morning nap.

Left to cherish the memories are her daughter, Reta Ross of Cache Creek; granddaughter, Wendy (Gordie) Marr of Kamloops/Cache Creek; grandsons Doug Green of Pueblo, Colorado, and Zach (Stacey) Pfannmueller of 100 Mile House; great grandchildren Chad and Tyrel Gidinski, Colorado Marr and her little "cuties" Brooke and Sara Pfannmueller; and her only brother, Claude (Lois) Turner of Shingletown, California.

She was predeceased by her parents, Albert & Lula Bell Turner and husband Mike Celentano.

Florence was born in Loveland, Colorado, the eldest of two children. Her early years were spent on the farm. She loved her animals and found parting with them at sale time very difficult. She had a love of math and this eventually led her into the banking industry in Denver, where she enjoyed many years of fulfilling employment. She was an artist with embroidery and cotton crochet and her doilies and table clothes were works of art. She took great pride in keeping her yard, home and bright red 1961 Impala in immaculate condition. She was an avid romance reader and was especially fond of stories with little children and medical themes. Her passion was travel and she and Mikey had many wonderful adventures on their trips and cruises before his passing in 1985. The two places she wanted to go, but never got to were Australia and the Panama Canal Cruise.

In 1988, at the age of 70, Flo loaded "lock, stock & barrel", including the treasured Impala, into a Mayflower moving van and immigrated to Canada, settling in Kamloops to be closer to her only daughter, Reta and family. She immediately dove into volunteering and worked tirelessly for many causes, most notably the RIH Afternoon Auxillary. This was her passion for 10+ years, getting her as close to her unfulfilled dream of becoming a nurse. She wore the red smock with pride and found great joy in walking the halls of the hospital and developing friendships with so many of the staff. Even in her later years when we would go there for medical appointments we wouldn't get far without stopping to chat and get hugs! She also continued her love of travel by supporting Wells Grey Tours with literally 100's of trips!

Flo was a fiercely independent and self-reliant woman and the realization that she might need assistance was not a pleasant one to her. She chose Berwick on the Park as the transition residence and lived there for seven years, enjoying the spectacular view from her apartment window, taking advantage of just about every bus trip as long as she was able and developing a strong circle of friends. Early 2010 saw a need for further assistance and Flo moved to Ridgeview Lodge where she spent her last 10 months, again forging endearing friendships with both residents and staff, remaining chatty and alert until the end.

The hardest part of composing this story is knowing who to thank, but there is special mention to Dr. David Ritenburg and Jenny, Aaron and the"girls" at Glovers, the staff at Berwick on the Park and Ridgeview Lodge for going "above & beyond" so many time. To all of you who cared for her and whose lives she touched she would want to say one last "Thank You!"

There is no service by her explicit request and she has gone back to Denver to rest beside Mickey.

In Flo's memory we ask that each of you pass on a Random Act of Kindness and make someone's world a little brighter in doing so.

"We're gonna miss those sparks in your eyes,
Bobo!
You didn't miss much."

Arrangements entrusted to Schoening Funeral Serivce, telephone 250-374-1454.