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Celia Lay Stratton

June 9, 1918 ~ June 12, 2019 (age 101) 101 Years Old

Tribute

Celia L. Stratton, 101, of Alexandria, died on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 after a decline in health following pneumonia. Celia was born June 9, 1918, the 7th of 8 children of the late George C. Lay Sr. and Mary E. (Hamilton) Lay. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her siblings, Charlie Lay Sr., Wm. Horace Lay, Bertie Bible, John David Lay, George Calvin Lay Jr., Alice Earnhart, and Sarah E. Lay Jolly; and by her husband, Charles R. Stratton, and a daughter-in-law, Arlene (Sangster) Stratton.

She is survived by her son, James E. Stratton (partner, Karen Downs) of Alexandria, two daughters, Janet M. Sloan (Mike) of Peachtree City, Georgia, and Linda D. Stratton (Brian Lake) of Monroe, Washington; five grandchildren, Edward Stratton, Lucille Myers (Steele), David Stratton, Kelsey Sloan, and Connor Sloan; two great-grandchildren, Caroline Celia Myers and Steele T. Myers, IV; and other relatives and close friends.
Celia was born and raised on the family farm near Whitwell, Marion County, in Tennessee’s Sequatchie Valley. She attended a secretarial school and worked for the NYA in Marion County, then moved to the Washington DC area for work as an accounting clerk during WWII, initially for the War Production Board, then the Department of Agriculture, and then the CIA. After Celia married Charles Stratton and started a family, she resigned from government employment and became a homemaker. Later, she went back to work for the Veteran’s Administration and retired. For more than 30 years, Celia was a member of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Kingstowne, and she enjoyed attending church and seeing her friends there. Celia loved her home, family, and friends. She enjoyed sewing and needlecraft and was a lifelong stamp collector. She especially enjoyed getting cards and letters from friends near and far. She was happy by nature, and although she reached an advanced age she always seemed like a much younger person. Celia was a unique and unforgettable person, and she will be greatly missed. During her last few years, she was assisted and cared for by dedicated caregivers from Visiting Angels, most recently Charlotte, Genet, Priscilla, and Joyce.

Visitation at Everly Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 W. Braddock Rd., Alexandria, VA 22302 on Sunday, June 16th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Funeral service at Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 5725 Castlewellan Dr., Alexandria, VA 22315 on Monday, June 17th at 12 p.m., followed by interment at Quantico National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

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Services

Visitation

Sunday
June 16, 2019
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Everly Wheatley Funeral Home
1500 West Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22302

Visitation

Sunday
June 16, 2019
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Everly Wheatley Funeral Home
1500 West Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22302

Funeral Service

Monday
June 17, 2019
12:00 PM
Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church
5725 Castlewellan Dr
Kingstowne, VA 22315

Cemetery

Quantico National Cemetery
18424 Joplin Road (Rte. 619)
Triangle , VA 22172

Donations

American Macular Degeneration Foundation
P.O. Box 515, Northampton MA 01061-0515
Web: https://www.macular.org/how-donate