Celia M. Check, age 86, of Stevens Point passed away Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 23, 2016 at St. Michael’s Hospital.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Celia will be held at 12:00 PM on Saturday Dec. 3, 2016 at St. Stephen Catholic Church. Rev. Jerzy Rebacz will officiate. Burial will be in the Guardian Angel Cemetery.

Friends and relatives will gather to share memories from 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM on Saturday before the mass at St. Stephens. In lieu of flowers memorials will be established in her name for Operation Bootstrap and Meals on Wheels of Stevens Point.

Celia was born June 6, 1930 in Marathon County, the daughter of John and Clara (Eckendorf) Mazoch. She attended Rosholt schools. Celia was an independent girl, occasionally having to sneak off to school as her parents felt a girl did not need an extensive education living on a small dairy farm. She maintained this sense of independence in her teenage years, moving to Stevens Point for one summer while boarding and working at the hospital.

This was followed by a move to Milwaukee where she worked at Allen Bradley. Celia married Nick Check (whom she had previously met and dated back home) on Feb. 26, 1949 in Milwaukee. The couple settled in Milwaukee and raised their family.

They moved to Stevens Point in 1960 and Celia worked at the Portage County Home, Portage County Jail, UWSP Food Service, and at Ore-Ida for 16 years before her retirement. In an era when many women were urged to be homemakers, Celia felt it was also important to work and maintain her own independent income, which she did throughout her working life. She enjoyed gardening, crafts, sewing, cooking, traveling, golfing with Nick, and shopping for others.

Celia is survived by her husband of 67 years Nick, and their three surviving children: Patricia Check (Richard Etier), Carrollton, Tex.; Gene Check (Mary Di Salvo), Amherst Junction; Terence Check (Andrea Shaker), Minneapolis; four grandchildren: Jason, Dan, Iris, and Luka; four great-grandchildren: Madeline, Lydia, Gwen, and Kiera.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Juanita, her son Bill, and her three sisters.

Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.shudafuneral.com