Maria Seda, 90, of Oldsmar, FL. entered heaven on May 31, 2020. She was born in Lares, Puerto Rico on June 3, 1929 and was the daughter of the late Josefa Irizarry and the late Dionisio Perez. She was the wife of the late Rev. Luis Seda who preceded her in death in 2012 after they shared 62 years of marriage.
From humble beginnings in Puerto Rico, her soon-to-be husband and she came to the U.S. mainland after World War II to pursue a better life for her future family. Even though she only went to school in PR through the 3rd grade, in the U. S. she learned how to speak, read, and write in fluent English. She was fully bilingual in English and Spanish. Before coming to the U. S. mainland, she was a nurse’s assistant at La Liga Contra el Cáncer (the Cancer League).
After being a stay-at-home mother and raising five children, she worked in New York City as a seamstress and as a home health care worker. When her husband felt the calling to become a minister, she assumed the role of a minister’s wife. For many years, she performed this role with great commitment and dedication.
When the children were grown, Maria and her husband returned to live in PR. There, she opened her own business as a confectioner. She baked and decorated cakes for various types of events.
Throughout her life, she always maintained that her most valued treasures were her children. She considered her most important work to be her devotion to her children as a stay-at-home mother when they were young and as a guiding influence as they grew. When asked how she managed a household as a minister’s wife and as a mother to five children, she always said that it was by the grace of God. In Clearwater, FL, she was a member of La Iglesia de Dios Emanuel, Pastor, Rev. Maribel Muñoz.
She is survived by her son Luis Seda, Jr. husband of Rebecca Seda; daughter Rachel Seda Cruz wife of Domilio Cruz; son Dr. E. Elliott Seda, retired, husband of Rhonda Miller-Seda; son Special Agent David Seda, retired, husband of Grace Seda; son Rev. Esdras Seda husband of Eva Seda, and ten grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.
A private viewing and service for the immediate family will be held at the Veterans Funeral Care, Clearwater on June 5, 2020. The service will be live-streamed on the Facebook Page of David n Grace Seda at 9:30am. Interment will follow at Florida National Cemetery at Bushnell, FL.
