Guldane Cheryl Donna (Tekin) Brady

Guldane Cheryl Donna (Tekin) Brady, 89, of Hallandale Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully at home on October 19, 2026, with her son by her side. She was the proud widow of 100% disabled veteran Ronald Daniel Brady.

She was born Guldane Tekin on March 22, 1937, in Kars, Turkey, to Bekir and Ziynet Tekin. She attended Ankara University. Even as a young woman, she was independent and determined, and she became the first in her family to go out and support them. She finished first in her English class and was hired as a flight attendant for Turkish Airlines in the 1950s, flying throughout Europe and the Middle East. Her photograph, in her Turkish Airlines uniform in front of her plane, appeared on the front page of the Turkish newspaper Tercuman. Years later, she was deeply proud to see that newspaper photo enlarged into a huge display decorating the Turkish Airlines business class lounge at Istanbul Airport, a moving tribute to her place in the airline's history.

She later moved to Frankfurt, Germany, to work for the U.S. Armed Forces, and she kept sending money home to her family. In 1961, she came to America to marry Ronald Daniel Brady. The couple eloped in Las Vegas and settled in Los Angeles, where Ronald worked for MGM Studios. During the 1960s and 1970s, Guldane worked at the Host International gift shop at Los Angeles International Airport, where she met many celebrities.

Living in America never lessened her devotion to her family in Turkey. She flew back and forth often and was the first to give her sisters black-and-white televisions and to bring toys to her nieces and nephews. One year she brought her niece, Nevbahar Bozkurt Atalay, to live with her in Los Angeles so she could study in the United States and learn English to prepare for a better future.

In 1975, Guldane moved from Los Angeles back to Turkey to be with her family, and she lived there for ten years. She worked as a senior associate for L'Oréal, Estée Lauder, and AAFES Fine Jewelry at the Ankara Air Station AAFES BX. In 1982, she became a U.S. citizen and proudly added the name Cheryl Donna, becoming Guldane Cheryl Donna Brady. In 1985, she moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where she continued her work at the Redstone Arsenal AAFES PX and later worked at Parisian and Yeilding's department stores. In the 1990s, she had the thrill of meeting President Bill Clinton. Out of her love for children, she also earned her teaching certification and worked as a substitute teacher and in an after-school program in Huntsville.

In 2009, Guldane and Ronald moved to Hallandale Beach, Florida, to spend their golden years enjoying the Florida sun.

Above all, Guldane was devoted to her only son, Shawn. She loved unconditionally and gave from the heart her whole life. She also held a special place in her heart for her sister, Kumru Evans, and her nieces, Sarah Jane Evans and Nevbahar Bozkurt Atalay. Everyone she cared for will carry on her courage, generosity, and loyalty to family.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 57 years, Ronald Daniel Brady, who passed in 2018. She is survived by her son, Shawn T. Brady, and by her closest sister, Kumru Evans.

She was also preceded in death by her parents, Bekir and Ziynet Tekin; her aunt Zekiye Poylu, her father's sister, and Zekiye's husband, Osman Poylu; her sisters Meliha Gumrukcu, Nezihe Bozkurt, Turkan Kilic and Sonol Tagtekin, and their husbands Tahsin Gumrukcu, Cahit Bozkurt, Cemal Kilic and Yilmaz Tagtekin; her brother-in-law John "Can" Wayne Evans; her nephew Serdar Gumrukcu and her nephew-in-law Hayri Tezel; her first cousins Melahat Ata, Sevinc Daniskan, Sevim Poylu and Tutenk Poylu, and their spouses Osman Ata, Munip Daniskan and Ayfer Poylu; Mahmut Konuk, husband of her first cousin Sema Konuk; and her cousins Mufit Ata and his wife, Aynur Ata, Umit Ata and Ugur Ata.

She also leaves behind a large and loving family:

The family of her late sister Meliha: her niece Askin Tezel and Askin's sons, Cenk Tezel (wife Anil Caliskan Tezel; son Uzay) and Tunc Tezel; her niece Emel Gumrukcu; her niece-in-law Fahamet Gumrukcu, widow of her nephew Serdar, and their sons Onur and Erdem; her nephew Sait Gumrukcu (wife Sevil) and his sons Deniz and Bulut; and her nephew Suat Gumrukcu.

The family of her late sister Nezihe: her niece Nevbahar Bozkurt Atalay (husband Fuat Atalay) and their daughters Sera and Lidya; and her nephew Zafer Bozkurt (wife Derya) and their children Irmak (son Alpay) and Cemil Can (newborn baby daughter).

The family of her late sister Turkan: her niece Ayfer Koc (husband Erol Koc) and their children Pinar and Doga; and her nephew Aydogan Kilinc (wife Nejla) and their children Umut and Ufuk Kilinc.

The family of her sister Kumru: her niece Sarah Jane Evans, Sarah's daughter Lara Balkaner Sunger (husband Pasa Sunger) and Lara's son Ata Sunger.

The family of her late sister Sonol: her nephew Cengiz Tagtekin and his son Kerem; and her nephew Yalcin Tagtekin and his daughter Dilay.

The family of her cousins: Yigit Ata, son of the late Umit Ata; Ahmet Daniskan, son of the late Sevinc Daniskan; Dilsat Poylu, son of the late Tutenk Poylu, and his son Efe; and her first cousin Sema Konuk, Sema's son Veysel Konuk (wife Sukran) and his twin sons Batihan and Doguhan, and Sema's daughter Elif Gunes (husband Rifat Gunes) and her daughter Zeynep.

Her ashes will be laid to rest with her husband at South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida. Date and details will be announced.