Olive M. (“Cece”) Kleister, 80, recently of Shrewsbury MA, died on February 18, 2012 at
Christopher House Nursing Home, 10 Mary Scano Drive, Worcester MA.
Cece was born to Charles E. Moller and Celia (Joyce) Moller on September 27, 1931, in Bedford NH. Cece was the youngest daughter of eight children. Her siblings were Joyce, Charles, Betty, Helen (“Carol”), Judith, Ruth and William. Cece is survived only by her sister, Betty (Moller) Weeden. Cece was married for 57 years to Albert H. Kleister, who passed on June 23, 2009. Cece and Al were married May 30, 1952, in Manchester CT. From 1959 to 2002 they lived in the Town of LaGrange, Poughkeepsie, New York. It was there that she and Al raised their five children. She worked for the NY State Department of Education BOCES as a special education teacher’s aide and retired in 1996. She also completed a course of study at the Krissler Business Institute in Poughkeepsie and was a licensed real estate agent. Their last years were spent in Shrewsbury MA to be near their family living locally in Massachusetts and New England.
Cece was known by all for her enthusiasm and creativity. She was a volunteer for the Community Children’s Theater of Dutchess County, NY where she helped to make sets and sew costumes, including one for “Pockets”, the official mascot of the theater. She was a prolific and creative person all throughout her life. She designed and created dolls, teddy bears, puppets and many other beautiful objects and decorations, which she bestowed on others. Her creative energies also served in making learning aids for the children in her classroom to support the curriculum. In her last few years, despite having lost most of her vision, she was still busy creating and produced decorated teddy bears for the holiday sale at Christopher Heights of Worcester, where she resided from August 2010 until just recently. Cece loved learning, words and word-games and she and her husband Al enjoyed doing crossword puzzles together. Throughout her life, she was a voracious reader and in her last years, was the beneficiary of recorded books through the Perkins School for the Blind of Watertown MA.
Cece was loved by her large extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends. The staff at the Christopher House Nursing Home was caring and supportive to Cece and her family in her last days. She was also cared for by the UMass Medical Center Hospice. The family would like to recognize the wonderful care she received at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Christopher House and by the Hospice workers of UMass. Her family also wishes to thank all those at Christopher Heights of Worcester for the friendships she made there.
She is survived by five children and nine grandchildren: Rebecca Kleister of Takoma Park MD, son-in-law Tobias Ricciardelli and their daughter Dulce Ricciardelli-O’Hare; Kevin Kleister and his wife, Denise (Plante) Kleister, of Shrewsbury MA and their children, Kelly and Brian; Jack Moss and his wife, Lilly, of Ithaca, NY and their children Sophie, Ben and Vivian; David Kleister and his wife, Rachel, of New Knoxville, OH and their daughters, Alison and Laurel; and, Amy (Kleister) Kelly and her husband, Jay Kelly of Lyme NH and their daughter, Juliet.
The family asks that in lieu of other remembrances, a memorial donation in Cece’s name be made to: Perkins School for the Blind, 175 Beacon Street, Watertown MA 02472
web: www.perkinslibrary.org
Alfred Roy & Sons Funeral Home, 12 Hammond Street, Worcester is directing arrangements. To send a letter of condolence to the family, please visit:
www.royfuneral.com