Elizabeth Eloyse Hyatt

Elizabeth Eloyse (DeLozier) Hyatt, age 95, died peacefully on Christmas morning. She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, grace and love. Eloyse grew up in Atlanta, the oldest of four children born to Oscar and Reba DeLozier. She attended Druid Hills High School and then Shorter College in Rome, Georgia, where she was a member of the Eumenean Society, Honor Board, and Key Club. She was also voted a Senior Superlative and president of her senior class. Eloyse would continue her service to Shorter in leadership roles with the Atlanta Alumni Association for over 60 years. After receiving her B.A. degree in 1948, she returned to Atlanta to teach at Home Park Elementary in midtown Atlanta. It was during this time that she met and fell in love with a kind aspiring lawyer, Charlie Hyatt. She and Charlie married in 1953. Together they raised their two children, Cathy and John.

Eloyse’s presence in this world seemed to strike the perfect balance. She combined style and elegance with a down-to-earth manner that exuded warmth to friends and strangers alike. Her first priority was always the love, nurture and comfort of her family (her melt-in-your-mouth pound cake and velvety scrambled eggs were legendary). She nonetheless found time to volunteer at the Atlanta Cerebral Palsy Center (now the Frazer Center) where she established a Girl Scout Troop; with the Junior Service League of DeKalb where she served as officer and chair of many committees; and as a special education teacher at Briarlake Baptist Church. She was a force of nature– strong, intelligent, independent and capable.

Eloyse was a loving and supporting life partner with Charlie. When he first came home with houseboat brochures – they were newlyweds with barely two nickels to rub together – she thought he had lost his mind. But over time she relented and the family would spend many happy weekends houseboating on Lake Lanier. Charlie held many leadership positions with the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Georgia that fostered countless enduring friendships for them both. Eloyse embraced her role as partner, celebrating Charlie’s courtroom triumphs and consoling him after losses. Most remarkable was the resilience, devotion and love she extended to Charlie when he was stricken by early Alzheimer’s disease.

It seemed that Eloyse’s warmth and love shone most brightly as a mother and grandmother. She instilled the values of right and wrong by shining example. When she saw you step out of line, you knew it right away. But she always delivered the message with reason, measure, and most of all, love. In her later years, her greatest treasure was time with her children and grandsons in their little house in the woods on Lake Oconee, next door to special long-time friends.

Eloyse was predeceased by Charlie in 1995. She is survived by her daughter, Cathy Ratigan (Donal), and her son, John (Liv), five grandsons, and one great-granddaughter. A memorial service will be held at H.M. Patterson Oglethorpe Hill Chapel on Wednesday, January 4 at 2:00 PM, with visitation immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Goizueta Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, 1762 Clifton Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30322.