Cecilia "Cele" Reindl

Sun Prairie- Cecilia “Cele” Reindl (nee: O’Connell), age 85, of Sun Prairie, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 surrounded by loved ones after a long, hard-fought battle with multiple myeloma.

Cele was born August 26, 1935 to David and Francis O’Connell in Vermont, WI.  She met Dave, the love of her life, in high school and married him on September 3, 1955. Family was paramount to our loving mother.  She and Dad raised eight children with aplomb and grace; they made a great team! They were also very proud of their 26 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.

Mom was Love in Action, and active she was!  She made it all look easy. Her many roles included chef, baker, maid, nurse, shopper, hostess, navigator, chauffeur, chore assigner, gardener, pickler, knitter, Dad’s cribbage buddy, Dad’s favorite (and only) date, seamstress, furniture restorer, homework helper, puzzle solver, etc.  She embodied Proverbs 31:27 “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”  In fact, in her last few weeks on earth, it was possibly her greatest challenge – to be idle and let others serve her.

Cele will be greatly missed by so many including her children: Mae (Doug) Seib, Julie (Ed) Doucette, Diane Reindl, Vince (Kelly) Reindl, Bill Reindl, Rita (Scott) Gregory, Monica (Bill-d2011) Tennie, and Jeff (Marcy) Reindl.  She will also be missed by: her surviving grandchildren & great grandchildren, sisters Marge (Jerry-d) Reindl and Vron (Wayne-d) Weber; and her sisters-in-law, Lois (Ray-d) O’Connell, Peg (Norbert-d) O’Connell, Ann (Paul-d) Reindl, Janice (Ted-d) Reindl, Phyllis (Don-d) Reindl, and Mary (Larry) Hausner, a plethora of nieces and nephews, her best friend Pat Stauffacher and many more.

She was ‘preceded in death by Dave’.  This phrase is not one she cherished; in fact, she often lamented about this sequence of events.  You could say: “Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.” Deuteronomy 31.8 was loosely translated to “how dare you leave before me when you promised to take care of me” - said with love and a longing to be with Dad again.  They celebrated 65 years together, and life without him was just not the same.

Also gone before her are parents David and Francis, brothers Norb, Ray, Larry (Dorothy-d), and Ignatius, and sister Noreen (George-d).  In addition, she was preceded in death by her son-in-law Bill Tennie and grandchildren Greg Doucette, Quincy Reindl, Casey Bentley, and Matthew Seib.

Please join us celebrating her life on June 26, 2021. There will not be a viewing, but there will be a visitation from 11:00-1:00 with funeral service immediately following, both at Sacred Hearts Church in Sun Prairie. The funeral will also be live-streamed on the Sacred Hearts Church website https://www.sacred-hearts.org/  After the funeral, burial will take place at Sacred Hearts Cemetery, following which we welcome family & friends to join us in celebrating the lives of Mom & Dad at The Round Table in Sun Prairie.  Share stories, eat, drink & be merry.  Memorials may be made to the Sacred Hearts School addition fund.

Please share your memories of Cele by posting on her Tribute Wall.

Cress Funeral Service

1310  Emerald Terrace, Sun Prairie

(608) 837-9054