Born in 1949 to parents Dominic P. Curcio and Dorothy B. (Warner) Curcio, Celeste grew up in Belfast, NY surrounded by a large extended family. In her youth Celeste enjoyed spending time with her grandparents and exploring the woods and natural surroundings near Belfast. A favorite pastime was picking berries, a pursuit that she enjoyed throughout her life and generously shared through the delicious preserves that she prepared.

In 1965 Celeste met and fell in love with the man who would become her husband of 55 years, Klaus Wuersig, originally of Görlitz, Germany. Married in 1966, they had three children, their (late) son, Erich Wuersig, and two daughters, Elke (Wuersig) Miot, and Renate Wuersig. During their life together, Celeste and Klaus embarked upon countless adventures, including extensive domestic and international travel, fighting a proposed nuclear waste dump in Allegany County, and living overseas in Kluang, Malaysia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

During her travels and overall, Celeste showed an unwavering curiosity and thirst for knowledge. An avid reader, Celeste acquired a large repertoire of information about a broad variety of subjects. As a result, she was comfortable speaking to anyone about almost any topic. She loved learning about nature, gardening, all types of cuisine, politics, culture, history, eclectic varieties of music, and, most especially, languages.

This latter interest was pursued through Celeste’s formal education and beyond. In order to learn Klaus’s native German, Celeste first learned alongside her young children, followed by taking language courses at Houghton College. After deciding to double major in German and French and progressing to the most advanced literature in both languages, Celeste earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Houghton College in 1988, graduating with honors. Driven by her love of languages and connecting with people from all over the world, Celeste also took classes in and independently studied Russian, Arabic, Farsi, and Italian.

However, beyond her interests and accomplishments, Celeste was first and foremost a loving wife, mother, daughter, and friend. In addition to raising a family with her husband Klaus, she was a devoted wife who steadfastly accompanied him on their journey through the many ups and downs of life. Besides providing much love and wisdom, she encouraged each of her children to pursue their own passions, and was always their greatest advocate. Finally, she was a caring friend whose warm and fun nature sparked friendships around the world. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we say our goodbyes to this extraordinary woman, whose intelligence, strength, pragmatism, zest for life, fierce love of freedom, and incredible sense of wit and humor have touched everyone she knew and loved.

Continuing Celeste’s memory are her loving husband Klaus, her daughter Elke (Ronan) Miot, Elke’s sons Peran and Rhodri, Renate Wuersig (Vinay), Renate’s daughter Nalini, her daughter-in-law Lisa Wuersig, and Lisa and Erich’s children Daniel and Kirsten (Kate) Wuersig, great-grandchildren Raelynn, Makenzie, and Ian, in addition to siblings and many devoted friends. We are certain that Celeste is now reunited with her son Erich, likely sharing conversations about politics over some good food and libations.