LETA JOY SEYMOUR, of Lansing, Michigan passed away peacefully and was called home by her Lord in the early morning hours of Friday, July 19, 2019 while at the Hospice House of Mid-Michigan.

Leta was born in Des Moines, Iowa on August 23, 1953 to Roy and Dorothy Seymour, who had originally moved from Michigan to Iowa to get an education. Leta's parents attended Graceland College; then her father moved near the bigger city to work and study accounting at Drake University.  It was then time to relocate the family to Michigan. They first lived in the cities of Owosso and Corunna, before moving on to the Battle Creek area.

Leta graduated from Battle Creek Lakeview High School in 1971. She attended Graceland College herself to study Physical education. Due to a back injury, she changed career plans. She moved to the Lansing area, where she took clerical jobs at a mortgage firm, at Michigan State University, and worked for 31 years at the State of Michigan Treasury Department in Lansing and Dimondale.

Leta played softball and volleyball in the Lansing city women's leagues for many years. Leta also enjoyed volunteering. She served as president of the Lansing Cerebral Palsy foundation and spent 4 years training and coaching young adults in their sports for the state and national Special Olympics competitions. She even bought a van to transport them to their games.  Leta also ran the Red Cross blood drives at the State of Michigan Treasury building for 8 years. Leta was active in her local neighborhood association.

Leta enjoyed singing and had a beautiful soothing mezzo-soprano voice. She sang occasionally at church. She went camping with her church family and even camped annually with one group of friends for 30 years.  Leta enjoyed traveling to visit family and friends. She organized wedding anniversaries and holiday celebrations for others and enjoyed cooking for them too. She collected cookbooks, liked to talk sports, and followed the Michigan State University teams. She enjoyed getting together and playing board games while swapping recipes.

She liked to help her neighbors, especially those less fortunate. She loved pets and started a pet sitting business in her retirement.

She was the friendly voice on the phone, sharing the latest news, and calling family and friends together. Leta rarely missed a birthday or holiday without a card or gift. She made gift-wrapping an art at those special times. She was often heard to say, " Guess what! They had a sale and I thought of you."  Soon she would visit with a thoughtful present. Besides giving many gifts to others, Leta had a special gift of love that was constant and full of hope and faith. She had a gift of compassion and was a person you could lean on in hard times. Leta strove to be a blessing to all those who knew her. She will be greatly missed!

Leta is survived by: her sisters, Jeanne (Carl) Fangboner and Melodie Scott; brothers, Kelley Seymour and Neal Seymour; nephews & nieces, Jared Fangboner, Jonathan Fangboner, Abigail Fangboner, Olivia Mireles, Julia Scott, Elijah Scott, Jacob Scott and Michael Seymour.

In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to make a donation in her name to the Capital Area Humane Society, at 7095 W. Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906 or cahs-lansing.org.

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.rileyfuneralhome.com