Celeste Fried

Celeste Fried, 91, of Greeley, passed away February 10, 2013 at the Hospice of Northern Colorado In-Patient Care Center. She was born November 7, 1921 in the Bronx, New York to Frank and Elizabeth Blavet, who had recently emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary. On January 30, 1951, she married Emery Fried in New York City. After moving to Elmont in Nassau County, Long Island in 1952, she remained there for the next 41 years before moving to Greeley, Colorado to be near her daughter. Mrs. Fried was raised in the Bronx, New York. After high school graduation, she attended the Packard Business School in New York City where she met and remained friends throughout her life with a group of women who called themselves the Packardites. During her early years, she was employed in various civil service positions in Washington, DC and Florida before returning to New York. For the majority of Mrs. Fried’s career, she served as Executive Director of various senior centers on Long Island where she was known for her innovative program development and services for older adults as well as involvement in state and national legislation activities focusing on older adults. She served as President of the New York State Senior Center Directors Association and received many awards for her work. Soon after arriving in Greeley, she used her planning and organizational talents once again to initiate and develop with other founding members the Greeley Retirees Academic Study program (GRASP), which is currently sponsored by the Greeley Senior Activities Center. This group is member driven and studies subjects of interest to its membership. This spoke to her love of learning which was evident throughout her life. Among her other interests, she loved to read and play Scrabble, listen to classical music and attend symphony concerts, and see Broadway shows in New York, as well as travel throughout the world, especially with Elderhostel programs. She is survived by her daughter, Juliet Fried, of Greeley; grandson, Nicholas Fried, of Astoria, New York; sister, Gloria Sotsky, of Bayside, New York; daughter-in-law, Carolyn Belman, of Amherst, New Hampshire; niece, Joy Geddes, of Oceanside, New York; and nephew, Steven Sotsky, of Bayside, New York . She was preceded in death by her husband, Emery Fried; son, Robert Fried; and her parents. A memorial service will be held on February 14th at 2:00 pm at The Bridge Assisted Living, 4750 W. 25th Street in Greeley, which was her home during the last year of her life. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Hospice of Northern Colorado, 2726 W. 11th Street Road, Greeley, CO 80634, or by accessing their website at www.hpcnc.org. Adamson Funeral and Cremation, 2000 W. 47th Ave., Greeley, CO is in charge of arrangements.