Juanita "Nita" Carmen (neé Bullard) Cayard

Juanita “Nita” Carmen (neé Bullard) Cayard passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, September 2, 2023 in Tyler after a short illness. Juanita was born in Houston, Texas on December 4, 1930 to Dale Carmen and Eunice (neé Hendrix) Bullard. She spent her formative years in Houston, but the family moved to “the country”, to an area near Madisonville that was part of a Bullard family community, and then to the Roans Prairie area, where Juanita graduated from Navasota High School. She moved back to Houston where she met her future husband, Earl Edward (“Mickey”) Cayard, Jr. They were married in 1950 and moved shortly after that to Marshall where Mickey worked for the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Over the years, they followed his job to south Louisiana, back to Marshall, then finally to Tyler, where she has resided for the past 62 years. Juanita was a homemaker and a proud mother to a brood of seven lively children. She spent many years providing support to their various endeavors through their schools, sports, and extracurricular activities. She was also active in church and community organizations: she was a long-time member of the Catholic Daughters, the Smith County Labor Council, the Kelly-Springfield Retirees Club, and the Smith County Democratic Party. One of her proudest moments was serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. She was a sports fan, especially an ardent Texas Rangers fan, even attending one of their World Series games. Nita was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed working with many arts and crafts media. She loved gardening, baking and cooking; she was a whiz at “42” dominoes; she traveled extensively around the US with Mickey and her kids, both when they were young and as adults. She also made several trips to Europe with Mickey and other relatives and friends. In her later years, when computers and smart phones became part of the fabric of life, she was surprisingly tech savvy and mastered many electronic devices.

Juanita was predeceased by her husband Mickey, two of her sons, Earl III and Michael Dale, her son-in-law John McClung, her parents, and her three brothers, John Wilburn Bullard, Dale Gary Bullard, and Michael Dennis Bullard. She is survived by: her children and their spouses Connie McClung, Colleen and Eddie Kelly, Mary and Conny Eikner, Virginia Cayard, and Richard and Mona Cayard; her grandchildren (and spouses) Christa (Jeffrey) Roberts, Jeffrey (Lisa) McClung, Catherine (Geoffery) Ka’alani, Michelle (Matthew) Gonderinger, Cody (Heather) Kelly, Christopher (Maria) Cayard, Carolyn (Joshua) Hollum, Heather (Nathan) Monclova, Mallory (Daniel) Baker, Cole Cayard, and Clayton Cayard; and thirteen great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Barbara Crook, her sister-in-law, Dorothy Bullard, several cousins, nieces, nephews, and many cherished friends.

A memorial service will be held at Lloyd James Funeral Home in Tyler at 11:00 am, Friday, September 8, 2023, with a graveside service at 1:00 pm at Rosehill Cemetery, Tyler,. Pallbearers: Jeff McClung, Jeff Roberts, Geoff Ka’alani, Cody Kelly, Matt Gonderinger, Chris Cayard, Josh Hollum, Nate Monclova, Daniel Baker, Cole Cayard, Clay Cayard.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lloydjamesfuneralhome.com for the Cayard family.