Portrait of the obituary subject, a Tucson-area woman who died at 92; funeral Mass is scheduled for June 5, 2026, at St. Odilia Catholic Church.
Maxine Helen Eyde, a nurse, entrepreneur and longtime Tucson resident, died on May 15, 2026. She was 92. Born April 14, 1934, in Butte, Montana, she was the daughter of William and Helen Cooper and was educated in her hometown before moving to Arizona, where she eventually continued her career in health care and community service.
Eyde’s early education in Butte included graduation from Girls' Central High School and completion of training at St. James School of Nursing. She later expanded her credentials while balancing work and family responsibilities, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Arizona. The degree was obtained while she was working and raising her family, reflecting years of commitment to both professional development and household life.
Professionally, Eyde spent much of her working life in the field of nursing. One of her most notable roles was serving as the school nurse at Lynn-Urquides Elementary School in Tucson, where she cared for children with special education needs. Colleagues and families sought her out for the patience and advocacy she demonstrated in that position. Her career in nursing continued until 1999, when she chose to step away from clinical work.
After leaving nursing, Eyde and her husband, Theodore "Ted" Eyde, launched two business ventures together: GSA Resources and Gadsden Sonora Holdings LLC. The couple worked side by side in those enterprises for nearly two decades before retiring in 2018. The businesses marked a second chapter in Eyde’s professional life and underscored the partnership she maintained with her husband in both family and business affairs.
Maxine and Ted were married in 1954. Their marriage spanned more than seven decades until Ted’s death, and the couple raised four children: Daniel Eyde (Kathy), Michele Rigter (Piet), Alicia Phillips (Vern) and Dene Ross (Dan). The family grew to include ten grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. Eyde is also survived by her sister, Janice Price, and by her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jessie and John Eyde. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ted Eyde, and by her parents, William and Helen Cooper.
Beyond her work and family life, Eyde pursued a variety of interests and civic activities. She was an active member of the Tucson Flyers Toastmasters Association for many years and became recognized locally as an accomplished public speaker. In private life she enjoyed cooking, entertaining and tending to her home, where she created meals and gatherings for family and friends. Eyde also maintained a lifelong appetite for learning, regularly taking classes and reading across a range of subjects.
Funeral arrangements have been made with Avenidas Cremation & Burial - Tucson, located at 1376 West St. Mary's Road in Tucson. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Odilia Catholic Church, 7570 N. Paseo del Norte, at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 5, 2026. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Maxine Eyde’s memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The funeral home handling services may be reached at 520-305-4740 for additional information. The obituary was published on June 2, 2026.
Messages of condolence have been posted by friends, former colleagues and community members, and arrangements for planting trees in her memory have been made available through the family’s online memorial page. Those who wish to send flowers, make a charitable gift or leave a memory may use the directions provided by the family in the published notice.