Karen Seals Gury

Karen Seals Gury, age 85, passed away peacefully at Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida, on Thursday, January 22, 2026. She was surrounded by her children and other beloved family members.

Karen was born on April 5, 1940, in rural Hoke County, North Carolina. She was the eldest of eight children born to Floyd McLean Seals and Nellie Strother Seals.

When Karen was 11, her family moved to Siler City in Chatham County, where her parents found work in the textile industry. In 1958, Karen graduated from Jordan Matthews High School, where she formed lasting friendships that she cherished throughout her life. After graduation, she attended the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (then known simply as “Woman’s College” or “WC,” now UNC-Greensboro) for two years. Later in life, after moving to Florida, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

In 1966, Karen’s son, Dennis Wedding, was born at the Great Lakes Naval Base Hospital while his father, Gene Wedding, was serving in the U.S. Navy. After Gene’s honorable discharge in 1967, the family returned to Greensboro, NC, to be near relatives. Gene and Karen later divorced.

In the spring of 1972, Karen married David Gury and moved to Pasadena, California, where she began her life with David and his two children, Jeannine and Sean. Karen embraced her role as a stay-at-home mom, actively raising her three children and supporting their school and extracurricular activities. The family became active in their local church community, St. Edmunds Episcopal Church in San Marino. She also began taking classes at Pasadena City College, where she discovered a love for photography. She completed her associate’s degree and started her own photography business.

In 1985, after Dennis and Jeannine graduated from high school, Karen joined David and Sean in Florida, where David had begun a new job the year prior. They moved into their new home in Boca Raton and became active members at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church. Karen found deep meaning and connection there becoming a member of The St. Brigid of Kildare Chapter of The Daughters of the King. She also took on a leadership role as a trustee of the Duncan Conference Center in Delray Beach, a Christian retreat and meeting venue she cared for deeply.

Over the years, Karen developed a passion for genealogy. She loved researching not only her own family history but also the extended web of related families as her own grew and evolved.

Karen and David also shared a love for travel. Together, they visited Israel, Egypt, Ireland, Paris, China, and many other countries. Karen always made time to return to North Carolina to visit her mother and siblings. Mother’s Day was her favorite time to be home, and she rarely missed that Seals family tradition.

Karen was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Mike, Larry, and Don; her sister Carol; her nephews Berry and Jeff Jr.; and her niece Gloria.

She is survived by her children: Dennis Wedding (Catherine) of Bath, England; Jeannine Gury (Scott Peters) of Cleveland Heights, Ohio; and Sean Gury of Charlottesville, Virginia. She is lovingly remembered by her grandchildren: Cameron, Caleb, Aidan, Grace, Matthew, Joseph, and Andrew. Karen is also survived by her brother Jeff Seals of Charlotte, NC; her sisters Sharon Seals Brookbank of Snow Camp, NC, and Robin Seals James (Dirk) of Siler City, NC; and her half-brother Eric Ensley of Franklin, NC.

A Celebration of Life for Karen will be held on April 11, 2026, at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton, Florida. Further details will be shared in the near future.