Norma Celeste Barley

Norma Celeste Griffin Barley, 88, of Maple Fork, WV went home to be with her savior, Jesus Christ, on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at Bowers Hospice House, Beckley, WV following a short illness. Born on November 27, 1923 in Baltimore, MD, she was the daughter of the late Elmo D. and Velma Foote Griffin, and sister to the late George H., Elmo J. and Walter F. Griffin, all of Baltimore, MD. Celeste lived on a farm in Virginia during the depression, but returned to Baltimore where she graduated from McHenry High School. Celeste was working jobs in Baltimore, to aid with the war effort, when she met the love of her life, Johnnie Mitchell "Mitch" Barley, a Navy Seabee returning from his tour in the Phillipines. They were married on August 10, 1946 and afterwards settled in Maple Fork, WV. Celeste worked numerous jobs, including jobs at Barley's Service Station, Barley's Market, and as a teller for the Mount Hope Bank, where she retired from in 1980. Celeste was a faithful prayer warrior and was a member of the Cranberry Baptist Church, where she will be missed by her church family. Surviving to cherish her memory are nieces and nephews that she loved as her own, including her nephew and caretaker, Paul Barley and his wife, Judy and their three sons, (all affectionately referring to her as "Unkie S."); Matt and his wife, Roberta, and sons, Caleb and Isaac, with which she made her home, Skee and his wife Teresa and Bobby Barley and their children, all of Maple Fork; Vernon and Dixie Barley, Bob and Elizabeth Tyree, Karen Barley, Carlos and Ruth Lilly, and their families, and her special friends Clarice Bailey and Sharon Kay Harsanyi, both of Prosperity are among the numerous friends and family that will miss her. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 A. M. Thursday, September 6, 2011 at Tyree Funeral Home in Mount Hope with Pastor Roger E. Pauley officiating. Burial will follow in the Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Prosperity, WV where great nephews will respectfully serve as pallbearers. Friends may call on the family from 6 P. M. until 9 P. M. on Wednesday evening, September 5, 2012 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Celeste, may be made to the Bowers Hospice House, 454 Cranberry Drive, Beckley, WV 25801. Online condolences may be sent to our website at: www.tyreefuneralhome.com Arrangements by Tyree Funeral Home, Mount Hope.