Bay Ridge

Celia Golden, mother of Sen. Marty Golden, dies at 93

June 17, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Celia Golden passed away at 93
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Celia Golden, a longtime Bay Ridge resident and the mother of state Sen. Marty Golden, died June 15 at the age of 93. The cause of death was heart failure, according to her family.

Celia will be remembered as a “strong, courageous and forward thinking woman,” a statement issued by Senator Golden’s office reads.

Celia was the mother of eight children and in a touching display of family unity, all of her children pitched in to take care of their mother in her later years as her health declined. “We took turns taking care of her,” Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southwest Brooklyn), who is the oldest of the children, told the Brooklyn Eagle. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. As a result of her family’s love and devotion, she never had to reside in a nursing home but instead got the opportunity to live out her final years in the comfort of her own home.

A native of Ireland, Celia Golden left her homeland as a young woman to carve out a new life for herself in the U.S. “She was gutsy,” her son Donald Golden told the Eagle. Donald Golden is the owner of the Donny Golden School of Irish Dance in Brooklyn.

Born Celia McGovern in County Cavan, Ireland, on Sept. 26, 1921, she was one of six children. As a young woman, she met Patrick Golden, who hailed from County Galway. The two fell in love. Celia McGovern, eager to start building a good life, left Ireland behind for the U.S., settling in Brooklyn. Two of her sisters were already living here. Patrick Golden soon followed her across the Atlantic Ocean and they were married at Saint Michael Roman Catholic Church in Sunset Park in 1949. They settled in Bay Ridge.

The Goldens had eight children. For much of her adult life, Celia Golden devoted herself to her husband and her children. But after her children had grown, she decided to embark on a career and went to work at a Bell Telephone (now called Verizon) office in Bay Ridge. She worked there for many years until her retirement.

Patrick Golden died in 1997.

Celia is survived by her eight children and their spouses: Marty and Colleen Golden; Vincent and Veronica Golden; Donald Golden; Patricia DeCarlo; Mary Golden; Eileen Golden and Patrick McGill; Barbara Crowley; and Patrick and Maureen Golden.

She is also survived by her 16 grandchildren: Patrick Golden; Jacqueline DeCarlo; Michael Golden; Vincent Golden; Stephen Crowley; Derick Golden; John DeCarlo; Danny Golden; Kevin Crowley; Nora Crowley; Michael Crowley; Amanda Golden; Christine DeCarlo; Cassandra Golden; Michael Martin Golden; and Patrick James Golden; and by her great-grandson, Patrick Thomas Golden.

A wake was held for Celia Golden at Joseph P. Clavin Sons Funeral Home, 7722 Fourth Ave. in Bay Ridge, on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17. The sound system was softly playing Celtic music into the room where the wake was taking place, a salute to her Irish roots.

A funeral mass is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, June 18, at Saint Anselm Catholic Church, at 356 82nd St., at 9:45 a.m.

Interment will take place at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

The Golden family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Celia Golden’s name to HeartShare Human Services of New York. The address is: HeartShare Human Services of New York, Public Affairs Office, 12 MetroTech Center, 29th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

 

 

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