Eula Mae Seyda

Eula was born July 7, 1932 in Jal, New Mexico. She was the 10th child of 12 born to John Dudley and Eula Pyeatt. She spent her early years in Jal and Roswell, New Mexico. After her mother died when she was 12 years old, Eula became the homemaker and mother to her two younger siblings, Martha and David.

Eula left Roswell and moved to Cleveland, TN to finish her Senior year of High School at Lee College, now Lee University. After graduating and attending a year of college at Lee, she became Secretary to the President of Lee, Dr. Leonard Carroll.

In 1954, Eula went home to Roswell for the Christmas break and returned two weeks later as Mrs. Eula Mae Seyda. She had met and married her dearly beloved David Seyda.... all in 6 days. Truly a marriage made in heaven, lasting 69 years.

Eula and Dave began their family in Cleveland, TN with Karan, followed by Byron who was born in Las Cruses, NM, and Sheryl who was born in El Paso, TX. Through Dave’s work, they lived in various places throughout the country... aside from Tennessee, New Mexico and Texas, they spent six years in the Marshall Islands on Kwajalein, and multiple years in California and Florida. During her time on Kwajalein, Eula traveled by plane daily to work on another island and learned how to sail in the Pacific lagoons during her lunch hours. She was adventurous and embraced island life with family and friends.

Those early California days brought relationships with friends that have lasted a lifetime. Young families, lots of kids, church picnics, Sunday night soup and sandwiches after church, ladies’ coffee clutches, seasonal art projects, holiday parties.... all treasured times of friendship. Even though Eula and Dave retired to Florida to be near their children, those California relationships never wavered.

Eula worked as a secretary and personal assistant for many years, but in her heart she was an entrepreneur and became interested in health and nutrition. After returning to California in the early 80’s, she became the owner of a Health Food Store, Natural Food Basket, which she owned and operated for 6 years.

Once Dave retired, they made their way back to Florida from California. Eula began working as an Independent Sales Representative in the field of Nutraceuticals. She pursued her passion for 25 years, retiring in 2019 at the age of 87. She was the top salesperson for multiple years and one of the first in the company to reach 1 million dollars a year in sales. Dave was her chauffeur, computer guy and biggest advocate.... they were a team. Eula was a wealth of knowledge and loved nothing more than learning new information with her co-workers and then sharing that with her clients in the medical field, along with family and friends. She was truly loved and respected by everyone she came to know. Wherever she went she spread joy, happiness and hope with her beautiful smile and words of encouragement. This work was her passion and her calling.

Eula loved God, her husband and family most of all. She was a tremendous prayer warrior, sharing her faith, God’s hope and love with everyone she met. Her (and Dave’s) favorite Bible verse was, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). She also loved being a homemaker and sharing her beautiful home with family and friends. She was a most wonderful cook and delighted in having a table full of people laughing and enjoying her delicious meals. When you entered her home, you were greeted with open arms. The joy, happiness and welcoming atmosphere was truly a pleasure to experience. Holidays were extra special because her home was always so beautifully decorated, and you could feel the joy, happiness, and pleasure in your being there.

Eula loved flowers. She and Dave both had a green thumb, so she had flowers blooming in her yard year-round. She was always open to a new variety and the unusual to add to her backyard butterfly garden. Many a morning, she and Dave sat at the kitchen table being entertained by butterflies and birds fluttering about. Her favorite flowers were yellow roses and peonies. Her girls so often brought peonies for the living room coffee table. They were always a part of celebrating Mother’s Day.

Eula also loved participating in Pyeatt Family reunions which occurred for the span of 60 years with as many as 90 attending at times. The tight bonds of 11 siblings brought hours of love, laughter, and memories. The Seyda family, having 9 children, also generated years of family time and joy. Both families' roots are Christ-centered, making times together precious, thankful and fulfilling.

Her family will always remember her bright smile, the way her face would light up when she saw each of us, her calls saying, “you have been on my mind, what’s going on”, and the way she loved without exception. She listened well, prayed always and was a constant source of encouragement. Recently, Byron said, and we agree, “we have no bad memories”. We were truly blessed to call her wife and Mom. We were also truly blessed to call her sister, aunt and friend. Words can’t express how much we will miss her.

Eula’s influence will continue to be present as family members and friends live out their lives. One day we will be together again.

Eula is survived by her beloved husband, David Daniel Seyda; her three children, Karan Renee’ Seyda, Sheryl Lanee’ Seyda Koenes, and Byron Dudley Seyda with wife Ranah Christine Seyda; her brother, John Dudley Pyeatt, Jr. and sister, Martha Lavon Pyeatt Buchholz.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the

J D Pyeatt Scholarship Lee University,

Office of Advancement Services

P.O. Box 3450

Cleveland, TN 37340-3450

Fond memories & kind condolences may be offered for the Seyda family in the online guest book below.