Mrs. Celestine M Hargrove

Celestine Marie (Franklin) Hargrove was born in Savannah, Georgia, on April 11, 1942. She was the youngest Daughter of the late Sam and Rebecca Franklin. She was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters, Princetta Franklin, Hardy “Buck” Franklin, Emmanuel “Bim” Franklin, Retha-Mae Franklin, Margarite Franklin, Deloris Jones, and daughter, Cheryl Denise Hargrove. She leaves to mourn a loving husband, Rev. Nathaniel Hargrove, two Daughters, Deborah (Rev. Coakley) Pendergrass and Tracey Hargrove, five grandchildren, Roscoe White, Brittny (Gabriel) Woods, Brianna (Brian) Kennedy, Gia (Kendrick) Anthony, and Dominique Pendergrass, and four great-grandchildren Journee, Zion, Gabrielle, Zora, and a host of other relatives and friends. She will also be mourned by three cherished friends, Sabrina Wright, Barbara Moon, and Janis Mitchell.

As a child, she was baptized at Townsley Chapel AME Church and graduated from Sophronia M. Tompkins High School in 1960. While being proudly born and raised in West Savannah, she enjoyed being a cheerleader and softball player with the Whipperettes. After graduating, she and her high school sweetheart, Nathaniel, moved to New York City, where they wed in 1961. Due to her passion for educating children, she attended Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, and York College of Jamaica, Queens, to complete her special education licensure, and served as a dedicated special education educator for 25 years. She also became an avid bowler. After relocating back home to Savannah, she continued her work at Bartlett Middle School and retired from Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools in 2002, having served for 13 years.

Celestine was an excellent seamstress, crafter, and history and poetry buff, with a particular interest in African-American history and poetry. Everyone she interacted with, she called and treated as a friend. She devoted much of her life to her family, serving the Lord and community through the AME Church, Young People’s Division, Missionary Society, and Ministers’ Spouses, Widows, Widowers, and Preachers’ Kids. In her last moments, she used her hands to create memories and gifts for others at the Woodville Golden Age Center.

Though her family is mourning the loss of their matriarch, they are comforted by your acts of kindness and compassion. May God bless and keep you all. Thank you to Adams Funeral Services and Townsley Chapel AME Church for your care and professionalism in these final preparations and celebration.