Elizabeth A. Eide

Elizabeth Ann Eide (née Hayden), 86, departed from this life for greener pastures on August 21, 2025, after a brief stay at Clare Bridge Cottage in Clinton, NY and Eastern Star Home in Oriskany, NY. The eldest of two children born to Fred Joseph Hayden and Lorene Verna Hayden (née Fox) in Valliant, Oklahoma, Elizabeth, nicknamed Betsy or Bet, grew up surrounded by doting aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandparents. A precocious child, she thoroughly enjoyed the great outdoors, playing and fishing in nearby streams, walking to and from school in the company of her father’s hunting dog, Tip, and building forts and teepees with her school friends, utilizing the seemingly endless supply of scrap lumber from Derek’s Coal & Lumberyard, her father’s employer. Another favorite childhood pastime was climbing trees, especially the fruit trees belonging to Mama Hayden, her beloved paternal grandmother. From her perch high in an apple, peach or plum tree, Elizabeth would watch the progress of the annual planting, harvesting and canning of the garden produce. Upon completing grade school in Oklahoma, Elizabeth was given the opportunity to live with her recently widowed Aunt Belle in Los Angeles, California, where she attended Immaculate Heart High School.

Upon graduation from high school, Elizabeth was accepted at UCLA and completed a semester there before deciding college life was not for her. Shortly thereafter, while working as a junior associate at a local bank, she met Edward Nicholas Eide, a young, handsome airman of Norwegian descent from Moorhead, Minnesota, who was in LA on an R&R while serving at March AFB. After a whirlwind romance, they were married and her life as a wife, mother and homemaker began in earnest. Together they had four precious children: Faith Elizabeth McCoy (William Page McCoy), Jacksonville, FL; Brenda Nicolene Mathis (Robert Frank Mathis), Oriskany, NY; Janis Patrice Pascoe (Geoffrey Albert Pascoe) Windham, NH; and John Edward Eide (Donovan W. Hannis), Alamogordo, NM; who gave them five beloved grandchildren who knew her as Anna, a derivative of the Turkish word for mother: David Thomas Snowberger (Amy Jo Snowberger née Chamberlain), Poulsbo, WA; Andrew Philip Pascoe (Laura Lindauer), Santa Rosa, CA; Diana Patrice Yaeger née Pascoe (Aaron Yaeger), Lynchburg, VA; Nicholas Jordan Eide, Alamogordo, NM; and Juliana Mae McCoy (Forrest Jermacans), Yulee, FL; who in turn gave them seven great grandchildren, Yaegers one and all: Simon Peter, Adeline Grace, Lydia Ruth, Luke Ethan, Monica Hope, Jane Olivia and Rebecca Anne.

Elizabeth and Edward shared a lifelong romance and partnership, along with a passion for travel and adventure, that took them and their growing family, to such far flung places as Moorhead, MN; Blair, NE; San Angelo and San Antonio, TX; Karamürsel, Turkey; Laurel, MD; Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England; Glen Burnie, Pasadena, and Millersville, MD. After Edward’s retirement from the Department of Defense in 1994, Elizabeth and Edward moved to Florida, where she continued looking for the perfect home base, first in Atlantic Beach, then San Pablo and finally in Jacksonville. During the nearly 30 years spent together in retirement, their travels continued, to Hawaii, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Germany, Austria, back to the United Kingdom and all the way to Australia.

After Edward’s sudden passing on October 19th, 2021, Elizabeth chose to move for her final adventure to Central New York, the home of her daughter Brenda and son-in-law Bob. In these last years of her life, she continued to travel in upstate NY, marveling at its expansiveness and natural beauty. Whether taking a boat tour along the Erie Canal or the St. Lawrence River, riding on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, visiting the shores of Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake or Lake Delta, or searching for those elusive Herkimer Diamonds, Elizabeth was able to continue her enjoyment of the great outdoors. During any one of these activities, she was also able to indulge in one of her favorite things – vanilla ice cream, in a cup or in a cone, on a boat or on a train, in the rain or just plain!

Along with her love of travel and nature in general, Elizabeth enjoyed cooking, baking, crocheting, knitting, gardening and tending to her many pets over the years. In the last several years, she enjoyed watching wild birds and other critters visit her bird feeders and interacting with the animals at Fort Rickey Game Farm in Rome, NY.

In addition to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Elizabeth is survived by her brother, Jerry Hayden, Choctaw, OK; niece Becky Jo Sarratt née Hayden (Jeremy Sarratt), Choctaw, OK; brother-in-law David Michael Eide (Carrie Eide), Portland, OR; sister-in-law Deborah Magdalene Hall (William Wayne Hall), Georgetown, TX, and many, many other nieces and nephews. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her father Fred Joseph Hayden, mother Lorene Verna Hayden Dixon Miller (née Fox); Aunts Flora Belle Walsh (née Hayden), Alice L. England (née Hayden), and Nora Catherine Hayden; Uncle John William Hayden; sister-in-law Jo Anne Hayden (née McAllister); nephew, Brian Edward Hayden; paternal grandparents John and Ella Belle “Mama” Hayden (née Crow); maternal grandparents Sheldon Dewey Fox and Verna Leona Fox (née Goad); and paternal great-grandparents John Perry Goad and Charlsie Alice ”Grannie” Goad (née Fennell).

Elizabeth missed her husband Edward terribly. She thought of him often and frequently retold stories of their travels and family adventures. She would share her dreams of him patiently waiting for her to join him, while he built their new lakeside home. The dreams about Edward were so real for her. She also loved telling stories about her time with Aunt Belle as an “LA girl” while boarding at Immaculate Heart High School. Like many graduating classes from Immaculate Heart, Elizabeth’s was held at the Hollywood Bowl. And, since a certain Linda Hope was her classmate, who sat behind her in homeroom, their class graduation party was held at Bob Hope’s house. Mr. Hope was not home for the party, however, as he was away on business.

Of all her many interests and passions, she loved her family most of all and wrote a letter to be shared with her children upon her death, the last words of which were: “I do love and care for each one of you. You have all made my life good and happy. Thanks to each of you. When I have departed this life, I wish all of you, each and every one of you, happiness, and all to know I did love all of you, and as best I could!”

The family expresses heartfelt gratitude for the thoughtful, kind and compassionate nurses, caregivers and staff at Clare Bridge Memory Care in Clinton, who cared for Mom as part of one big family. We are also immensely grateful for the doctor, nurses, caregivers and staff at Eastern Star Home in Oriskany, who watched over her so gently and faithfully upon her passing.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Elizabeth’s name to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Rome Humane Society or another favorite charitable organization of your choice.