Cecelia Rose Schleibaum; Longtime Violinist

Cecelia Rose Schleibaum, a longtime Ventura resident and avid violinist, has died. She was 88.

Schleibaum died Saturday at Community Memorial Hospital after a brief illness, said her daughter, Maribelle Jones of Boise, Ida.

A native of Long Beach, Schleibaum moved to Ventura in 1952 after her husband went to work for Shell Oil Co. in Ventura, Jones said.

An avid musician, Schleibaum began to play the violin at age 3--an activity she enjoyed until shortly before her death.

As a young woman, she formed her own band known as “Cecelia Rose,” which often played on radio shows and at parties in the Long Beach area, Jones said.

After she moved to Ventura, she joined Our Lady of the Assumption Church, where she often sang and played music. Later, she and other church members formed a band that played in churches and at senior citizens centers throughout Ventura County, Jones said.

In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her husband, Charles Russell of Ventura; son and daughter-in-law Richard and Duby Schleibaum of Arvada, Colo.; daughter and son-in-law Patricia and Rolland DeSmidt of Oak View; a brother, Ludwig Kading of Crestline, and a sister, Esther Muxlow of Modesto.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Joseph Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura.