Vito John Celia

Vito John Celia, 84, of Bethlehem, PA, passed away on November 17, 2025, at the Bethlehem North Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Vito was born in Phillipsburg, NJ, son of the late Franc and Maria Giorla Celia, a couple who immigrated to the United States from Petrizzi, Catanzaro, Italy. He was married to his devoted wife of 59 years, Katherine Elizabeth (née Hemingway) Celia.

A member of the Phillipsburg High School Class of 1960, Vito served his country in the US Army as a Military Police Officer. After an honorable discharge, he worked for a time at Ingersol Rand, before joining the US Postal Service in 1973, where he remained employed for 36 years. At the Phillipsburg Post Office, he spent much of his career as the “shop steward,” representing the workers’ Postal Labor Union. Vito often served as the office’s window clerk, where his boisterous (and occasionally ribald) sense of humor kept many customers entertained and coming back for more. During the 1980s and 1990s, he also moonlighted as a part-time real estate agent, mostly for the Budd Agency.

Known for his tireless work ethic, Vito kept busy working odd jobs well into retirement, including part-time employment as a substitute mail carrier and janitor for the Phillipsburg School District.

In addition to his wife, Vito is survived by his son, Frank and his wife, Christine, of Collingswood, NJ; his daughter, Maria Doll and her husband, Jeffrey, of Northampton, PA; in addition to five granddaughters: Celia and Eliza Doll, of Northampton, PA; and Claudia, Muriel and Evelyn Celia, of Collingswood, NJ. In his later years, Vito took great joy spending vacations at the Jersey Shore surrounded by these loved ones. He was the last surviving member of five siblings, including three older brothers, Ralph, Louis and Antonio, and one younger sister, Jean Dibilio.

A viewing will be held on Saturday November 22, 2025, from 11 am to 1 pm at the Finegan Funeral Home, 302 Heckman St., Phillipsburg, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests charitable donations be sent to the Parkinson’s Foundation, at Parkinson.org.