Celia Knoffloch

In a world that often rushes forward, Celia Knoffloch invited us to pause and look back — not with nostalgia or sadness, but with vision and joy. Although Celia has left us, the shimmer of possibility she brought to forgotten things remains. She passed away on Feb. 20, 2025, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., following a short battle with cancer.  

Where others saw dusty relics, Celia saw stories waiting to be continued. Her small frame, dressed in her trademark overalls and collection of Birkenstocks, moved through her shop with the quiet authority of one who understood that value isn’t always visible at first glance. “Everything has potential,” she would say, running a knowing finger across the grain of an old dresser or holding a forgotten tool to the light. Through her kindness and wisdom, she taught all of us that you just have to be patient enough to see it.

Celia’s story began on Feb. 21, 1954, in Wichita, Kan. Born to John Dellinger and Retha (Moeller) Cosby, in her early years she loved roller skating and riding bikes with her sisters, Cynthia and Paula. She was involved in gymnastics at Campus High School in Haysville, Kan., where she graduated — and was crowned basketball queen — in 1972, but her true passion was cheerleading. 

She earned her dental assistant certificate from American Dental Institute in Wichita, Kan., and then taught at her alma mater from 1976-1978.  She was a security guard at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka from 1982–1983. Small but powerful in her presence, it was the most secure the Capitol has ever been. 

Celia married her biggest fan and notorious partner in crime, Orren Knoffloch, on Dec. 3, 1977, and they were blessed with three children: Kristi, Bryan and Kimberly. Of the many collections she assembled, her family was the one she treasured most.

Celia’s children inherited the qualities that made her so very special. Looking, acting and even talking like her mom, Kristi shares her love for junkin’ and antiques. She’s an advocate for the underserved, and, just like Celia, can’t walk away from any animal in need. Blessed with quick minds and quicker tongues, their shared sense of humor is an heirloom she cherishes.

As undaunted and confident as his mother, Bryan follows Celia’s mantra of not allowing what others think bother him or bring him down. And between the two of them, there isn’t a bit of vintage music trivia that could stump them. Much like Celia, he finds contentment and happiness in the present moment and never hesitates to help people and animals who can’t help themselves. 

Kimberly inherited Celia’s remarkable strength and determination. Whether moving furniture that’s far too big for one person to move (and then doing it several times) to confronting life’s challenges with courage, Kimberly embodies Celia’s spirit of perseverance, and through Celia’s example, she learned that obstacles are merely opportunities.

The family relocated to Storm Lake in 1983, where Celia held several jobs, including Merry Maids, flooring sales at Sid and Sams, and even as an Albert City-Truesdale school bus driver where the kids named her the “cool mom.” 

In 1996, she opened Floors, Etc., with her best friend, Robin Martin, and they operated the business together until 2014, when she decided selling antiques was more fun. Throughout her lifetime, Celia had a love for antiques. For years, she was a fixture at local auctions and a celebrity at the Rembrandt Gym Auction House. 

The true curiosity in a store brimming with curiosities was Celia herself — a bold and unstoppable spirit housed in an unassuming package. Customers came for vintage doorknobs and old signs but stayed for her sharp wit, unflinching honesty and kind ear. Shoppers found themselves leaving with not only a carefully wrapped treasure but also a piece of wisdom, delivered with Celia’s characteristic lack of ceremony and likely a few words you couldn’t repeat on television.

Her shop wasn’t merely a business; it was a philosophy she lived — a testament to the beauty of second chances and the art of seeing beyond the tarnish in things that others didn’t want — and that ranged from antiques to animals, and, thankfully, to anyone who needed her. In Celia’s hands, the discarded became discovered, the overlooked became admired, and the broken became beloved.

As we bid farewell to this remarkable collector, we might honor her best by adopting her perspective: by looking at the worn and weathered bits of our world and asking, “What could this become?” And if we follow Celia’s example, it always becomes better.

Never one to walk away from an animal in need, she gave countless strays and unwanted pets an amazing life. Throughout the years, several were staples in the store, including Peaches the cockatoo, Red the red macaw, Friday Jo the blind cat, Sam the rescue cat with a broken jaw, and Hammy the cat with the shattered back leg. In the afterlife she’ll be reunited with Timmy the Pomeranian, a beloved pet who will probably greet her by biting her once again, along with so many more buddies that had the opportunity to live with Celia and drive Orren crazy.  

Celia was preceded in death by her parents, John (Linda) Dellinger and Retha Cosby; mother and father-in-law, Opal and Edwin Knoffloch; aunt Vera Marietta; sister and brother-in-law, Marietta and Larry Buller; infant grandson Kingston Krager; and many close friends, including Sue Morrow.  

Left to treasure her memory are her husband Orren Knoffloch; children: Kristi (Kyle) Krager of Cushing; Bryan (Kimberly) Johnson of Bennington, Neb.; and Kimberly (Sean) Garrett of Overland Park, Kan.; eight grandchildren: Krimson (7), Kreed (10) and Kreighton (15) Krager; Drake (16) and Holden (20) Johnson; Jackson (20), Katherine (24); and Jordan (26) Garrett; and sister Cynthia Baldwin of Albuquerque, N.M.    

Her laughter may be gone and the building quieter because, as some may know, Celia did enjoy sneaking up on her friends with a trombone or old car horn. But the echoes of her impact on her family, her friends and the countless lives she touched will continue to resonate. 

Of all the treasures she helped others find, Celia herself was the rarest — a one-of-a-kind spirit whose value was immeasurable and whose absence leaves our collection incomplete.

In lieu of flowers, a fund has been established in Celia’s honor and, according to her wishes, memorials can be directed to Caring Paws, PO Box 54, Storm Lake, IA 50588.  

Celebration of Life services will take place Friday, March 7, from 5-7 p.m. at Lake Avenue Lounge in Storm Lake. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m. at Lake Avenue Lounge in Storm Lake. Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.