Sis. Celia Clark peacefully transitioned to her heavenly home on January 27, 2026, at Scotland Memorial Hospital, at the age of 61, following a courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones and leaves behind a legacy of faith, service, and love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Celia’s walk with Christ was marked by quiet faithfulness, unwavering trust, and a life lived in service to others. For nearly three decades, she taught, cared, and ministered not for recognition, but as an expression of her love for Jesus, allowing her faith to be seen through compassion, patience, and sacrificial love. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched, the family she anchored in faith, and the example she leaves of a life fully surrendered to Christ. She was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth Oxendine, and her brother, Shane Harris.
Sis. Celia was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and a faithful servant of God. She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher at Faith Assembly of God for 29 years, where she shared her love for Christ and her compassion for others. She faithfully served individuals living with long-term illnesses and dementia, ministering with patience, tenderness, and grace.
Celia loved cooking for family and friends at every opportunity and was known as a natural caregiver—always ready to help anyone in need. One of her cherished Sunday traditions was visiting her Woody Farm family, where she enjoyed watching volleyball, visiting, and catching up with those she loved.
She is survived by her husband of 29 years, Dr. Christopher Clark; her children, Stephen Trey Locklear (Sheresa), Hannah Rebeka Clark, and Benjamin Christopher Clark (Makaylie); and her beloved grandchildren, Shaniah and Skyler (“Mook Mook’s babies”). She is also survived by her mother, Freda Harris; sisters Veronica Oxendine, Frankie Howington, and Robin Britt (Bruce); and brother Ryan Allen and her mother-in-law, Juanita Clark, who loved her as a daughter. Additional survivors include her sister-in-law Kimberly Locklear (Jared), and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
The funeral will be 2 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2026, at Faith Assembly of God with the Revs: Thad Davis and Darryl Callahan officiating. Entombment will follow in the Lumbee Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. prior to service.
