Bay St. Louis Councilman Doug Seal kneels and prays at the casket of his son, 28-year-old Cayce Seal, an Entergy lineman who died after an electric shock while working on power lines. Cayce’s funeral services were held at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021.
Justin Mitchell
jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
“It’s unbelievable.”
While his parents stood next to a handmade pine box topped with roses, Calla lilly and other flowers in blue and white, Cody Seal looked out of the corner window from the side altar of St. Clare Catholic Church.
He watched as three hoisted American flags and a wooden cross waved in the wind while the line outside growing, turning so long and winding that it was something he and the priest had never seen.
And the people kept coming. At one point, the line stretched nearly to U.S. 90.
They parked in the grass, along Vacation Lane and took up every spot on the beach nearby. They wore suits and dresses, and work uniforms and jeans and T-shirts. They waited in the heat and sunshine to say goodbye to Cayce Seal.
The 28-year-old Bay St. Louis native and Entergy power company lineman died last week after suffering a shock while working on power lines.
Inside the church, Seal’s family hugged the necks of every person who came to say their respects — about 2,000 in all — as Ross Grisham and his band played music that brought gasps and tears from the packed pews.
“Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home,” Grisham sang.
Doug and Michelle Seal shared laughs and tears, while Seal’s girlfriend, Cassie Lassabe, often turned her head away from the line to look at her partner inside his final resting vessel, filled with signatures of friends, family, loved ones and Hancock County community members. A flower-filled box with a power line poll stood nearby, with many of Cayce’s crew mates stopping to pat the top, wiping away tears as they found a seat.
Cayce is father to 2-year-old Declan Seal and step-father to 8-year-old Anistyn Hoda.
Among the guests at the service were hundreds of first responders and Entergy workers, many of whom gathered outside the church near the bucket trucks that lined U.S. 90.
An overflow room at the church was filled with mementos that marked Cayce’s life. He was a St. Stanislaus football and soccer coach, Nereids royalty, a competition fisherman and a bull rider. A slideshow played that showed videos of Cayce dancing with his mother at a recent Mardi Gras ball.
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam and Bay St. Louis Mayor Mike Favre were in attendance.
Cayce will be buried at Lakeshore Cemetery on Thursday afternoon.
Doug Seal, who wore a navy blue suit with matching tennis shoes, had a message for the community as he said goodbye to his youngest son, with wife Michele by his side: “Live like Cayce.”
Bay St. Louis Councilman Doug Seal kneels and prays at the casket of his son, 28-year-old Cayce Seal, an Entergy lineman who died after an electric shock while working on power lines. Cayce’s funeral services were held at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Doug Seal, right, son Cody Seal, center, and uncle Buddy Seal, left, view Cayce Seal’s body in a handmade casket at St. Clare Catholic Church on July 1, 2021, during the funeral services for Cayce, an Entergy lineman who died after working on power lines in New Orleans. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
A power line poll was positioned next to Cayce Seal’s casket during his funeral services at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Guests viewed a table filled with lineman’s gear at the funeral service for Cayce Seal at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Guests viewed a table filled with lineman’s gear at the funeral service for Cayce Seal at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Cayce Seal’s casket was handmade in Lakeshore and was adorned with blue and white flowers. His funeral service was held at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland, on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Hundreds wait outside St. Clare Catholic Church, including many linemen and first responders, to pay respects to lineman Cayce Seal on July 1, 2021. Entergy crews and Bay St. Louis firefighters raised three American flags and a cross on the church property in Waveland. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Anistyn Hoda, 8, views stepfather Cayce Seal’s body at his funeral service at St. Clare Catholic Church on July 1, 2021. Cayce’s father, Doug Seal, and uncle, Buddy Seal embrace the girl. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Declan Seal, 2, is held by his mother, Cassie Lassabe, at the funeral service for Declan’s father, Cayce Seal, 28, at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Guests say goodbye to Cayce Seal, 28, during his funeral service at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Cassie Lassabe, girlfriend of Cayce Seal, hugs a guest during his funeral service at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Hundreds wait outside St. Clare Catholic Church, including many linemen and first responders, to pay respects to lineman Cayce Seal on July 1, 2021. Entergy crews and Bay St. Louis firefighters raised three American flags and a cross on the church property. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
The Rev. Braxton Necaise prays over the casket of Cayce Seal on July 1, 2021, during funeral services at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Michele Seal pulls back Anistyn Hoda’s hair during Cayce Seal’s funeral services at St. Clare Catholic Church on July 1, 2021. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Cassie Lassabe, center, prays during mass in a funeral service for her partner, Cayce Seal, who died last week after suffering an electric shock. The funeral services were held at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland. Lassabe is seated next to Cayce’s parents, Doug and Michele Seal, and her daughter, Anistyn Hoda.
Anistyn Hoda, 8, hugs mother Cassie Lassabe during funeral services for Lassabe’s partner, Cayce Seal, on July 1, 2021, at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
Doug Seal cries as his son, Cayce Seal, is led out of St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland on July 1, 2021. Cayce Seal, 28, died last week after suffering an electric shock while working on power lines. Cayce’s girlfriend, Cassie Lassabe, walked next to Doug Seal. Justin Mitchell jmitchell@mcclatchy.com
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 2:10 PM.
Justin Mitchell is the Sun Herald senior news editor and works on McClatchy’s audience engagement and development team. He also reports on LGBTQ issues in the Deep South, particularly focusing on Mississippi.
