Celeste Hathaway

Celeste Hathaway

September 25, 1952 - December 22, 2025

As an honest, selfless, and caring matriarch, thoughtful friend, and passionate volunteer and leader, Celeste Hathaway sparkled in life and brought joy to many in her short 73 years.

Celeste was born on September 25, 1952 in Ames, Iowa to Roger Hathaway and Denese (Bredall) Hathaway. She lived in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wisconsin, then Kankakee, Illinois and returned to Neenah in 1969 for her senior year of high school. She was a member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society, played guitar, and she modeled for a local bridal shop. Celeste attended University of Oshkosh studying Business and Psychology for two years before she married Dr. Richard Habighorst from 1972 to 2006. She became a legendary homemaker and business manager at Habighorst Chiropractic.

Her love for volunteering began at age 14 when she became a candy striper in a small hospital in Kankakee, Illinois and continued through high school. Then at Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah she served as a "Pink Lady" for four years before joining the Board of Directors and then became President of the Theda Clark Auxiliary, where she drove record membership. She continued volunteering for several organizations, including Altrusa of Oshkosh, and worked with the Oshkosh Police Department to support their K9 program, neighborhood watch, and National Night Out events.

Nicknamed "Diamond Lil", Celeste was a driver for the Habighorst Chiropractic mini grand-prix go-kart races in Menasha, Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Her claim to fame: she rhinestone studded the kart and made sure the team had stylish and studded duds and won the Hot Dog award but never led the team to a race victory.

Celeste brought her talents to several businesses over the years, including becoming a master hair stylist, a dispatcher for Winnebago County, and then as a new accounts representative at North Shore Bank in Menasha.

She was a gifted hostess and planned several community celebrations and private events with artistic flair, and she was an active member of the Republican Party.

Celeste loved all animals, especially her dogs. She enjoyed working with cats, dogs, horses, an even llamas as an animal chiropractor assistant with a certification from the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association.

Celeste passed away on December 22, 2025 after a short battle with aggressive lung cancer; she beat a different lung cancer 8 years ago.

She is survived by her son Jonathon and Laura Habighorst and their son Ben, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, daughter Jodi (Habighorst) and James Bernicky and their children Gavin and Genavive Bernicky, Naperville, Illinois, brother Craig and Dawn Hathaway and their two children Paige Hathaway and Mason and Becca Hathaway, Colleyville, Texas, aunt and uncle Dana (Shroyer) and Gary Jansen, Mason City, Iowa, and her Westland Terrier Archie.

Celeste is preceded in death by son Travis John Habighorst, her parents, her grandparents Shirley (Lincoln) and Glen Hathaway, step-grandfather Harold Shroyer, and Dewey and Myrtle Bredall, her uncle and aunt Otto and Patsy Lehmann, her great grandparents Addison and Anna Lincoln, and her great-aunt and uncle Lenis and Raymond Willson.

The family would like to thank her friends, family members, and the staff at ThedaCare Hospice and Senior Stride for their care and concern as she faced hospice head-on for the past few months.

Celeste will be cremated and laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family this summer. In lieu of flowers or cards, kindly donate to the Oshkosh Humane Society or another animal rescue organization of your choice. Celeste's friends and family are asked not to mourn, but to shine on by celebrating and spreading kindness with their families and friends.