Neysa Ellen Seed

1929 - 12

Neysa Ellen Seed

Neysa Ellen Seed died September 8, 2020 at Aspen Grove Assisted Living facility, in Lambertville, MI. She died after a lengthy illness, which she handled with extraordinary courage and grace. She was 90 years of age.

Neysa was a quiet giant with great inner strength, who without complaint or boasting was generous with her time and her care of family and friends. She was a gifted musician, singer, and writer, whose compassion for others shone loudly in her work.

As a wife and mother, Neysa demonstrated amazing levels of support and understanding. Although she suffered from painful arthritis and neuropathy for more than 20 years, that eventually left her unable to walk, her illness did not dull her always active mind and endless curiosity. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved practical jokes.

Neysa was born Mary Lou Hannel in Fort Wayne, IN, on December 28, 1929. The Great Depression forced her mother, Amy Hannel, to place her daughter in an orphanage. At age two she was adopted by Freeman and Irma Imhof of Edon, OH. They renamed her Neysa, Greek for pure.

Early on, Irma recognized that Neysa was musically inclined. She studied piano, cornet, and the French horn. She also sang in the church choir, and was so good she soloed at a number of local weddings.

Irma ran a flower shop out of the family home. Neysa delivered flowers by bicycle. Later after graduating from high school, Neysa opened and managed a new flower shop in Bryan, OH. She ran the business for two years, becoming a full-fledged FTD florist.

In 1949 Neysa enrolled in the University of Michigan's music school. Neysa graduated with a degree in music education and a major in cornet performance, from the University of Michigan. During her senior year, she served as the student director of the Women's Glee Club. In 1950, while traveling on a bus, she met her future husband, also a U of M student. Their immediate connection was their unusual yet similar names. Neysa and Aniese were married June 21, 1952.

She raised three children - Kathryn, Susan, and Edward – to whom she was devoted, and nurtured in numerous and varied activities including art, music, and history. She was always there for her husband, who said many times: "Because of her, I led a stress-free life". Neysa was handy with tools, having learned home repairs working on her parent's rental properties. This skill greatly benefited her family. She loved animals, and became the unofficial wild animal veterinarian in their neighborhood. At Longfellow school she served in many ways, often as room mother, and as Mother's Club president. She led two Girl Scout troops and a Boy Scout troop. Later on in life she was a teacher's assistant there in a 4th grade classroom and was known as "Grandma Seed". For 13 years Neysa worked as purchasing department manager and oversaw inventory at Aniese's business, Toledo Transducers. Neysa and Aniese loved to travel. Over the years, they visited nearly two dozen countries on six continents.

Aside from her family, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in downtown Toledo was a major focus in her life. She sang in the choir more than 60 years, lead Bible study groups, wrote and directed numerous plays, authored a number of hymns, wrote and performed several dramatic monologues, contributed a regular column in the church Newsletter, and chaired the settlement of three church sponsored war refugee families from Vietnam, in the 1970s.

Neysa was also a poet. Among her very many poems is her favorite "My Prayer at Springtime", which is a true picture of her inner character. It closes with this phrase: "Grant me endurance like a stream, dear Lord, mirroring freshness and purity of heart".

She is survived by her husband, Aniese Edward Seed; daughters, Kathryn (Thomas) Wesenberg, Susan (Lawrence) Morgan; and son, Edward (Donna Warner) Seed; grandchildren, Anne Wesenberg, David Wesenberg, Peter (Ann-Marie) Morgan, Amy Morgan, and Alven (Mamie) Warner; great-grandchildren, Abigail, Samantha, and William Morgan, and Aliveah, Braylon, and Arieah Warner; nephew, Randall (Sharon) Seed and their sons, Jacob, Alexander, and Luke Seed - and nephew, Jeffrey (Vasanti) Seed and their daughters, Vanita and Jasmine Seed.

Neysa was preceded in death by her adoptive parents, Freeman and Irma Imhof; and birth parents, Amy D. Hannel and Paul M. Wutzler, Sr.

Visitation will be held at Boulevard Christian Church, (7041 W. Sylvania Ave., Sylvania, OH) on Saturday, September 19, 2020 after 11:00 a.m. with funeral services to follow at 1:00 pm. Interment at Toledo Memorial Park. Social distancing observable and masks are required.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Lutheran Social Services of NW Ohio. Arrangements entrusted to the Foth-Dorfmeyer Mortuary. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.fothdorfmeyer.com