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A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for Etheleen Guillot Abshire, 91, who passed away at Encore Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Dec. 6, 2019.
Fr. Neil Pettit, pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, will be officiating for the services.
The family is requesting visiting hours to be held Sunday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home in Crowley. A rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Interment will be in Abshire Cemetery.
She is survived by six children, Linda (Lester) Guidry of Crowley, Donna (Woodrow) Sarver of Crowley, Sharon (Jerry) Benoit of Gueydan, Chris Abshire of Kaplan, Darlene (Newman) Thibodeaux of Morse, Kim (Donald Dietz) Abshire of Kaplan; her son-in-law, Amos “Jimmy” Manuel III of Iowa; one sister, Bernice Young of Basile; 11 grandchildren, 28t great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Abshire is preceded in death by her husband Danes P. Abshire; one daughter, Janet F. Manuel; her parents, Louis and Alice Legnion Guillot; five siblings, Nolan Guillot, Dorothy Simon, Oldon Guillot, Geraldine Matte, Daniel Berness Guillot; two grandchildren, Shane James Ardoin, Harley James Romine; and one great-grandchild, Ethan Paul Wirtz.
Pallbearers will be Kevin Abshire, Blaine Abshire, Pierre Peyres Jr., Christian Wirtz, Alcee “AJ” Peyres and Michael Abshire.
Honorary pallbearers will be Dallas “Joe” Wirtz and Stephan Broussard.
Condolences may be sent to the family by www.geesey-ferguson.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home of Crowley.
Betty Barousse Briggs, age 92 and a lifelong resident of Jennings, passed away peacefully Thursday evening, Dec. 5, 2019, in the SW Louisiana Veterans Home after battling advanced dementia for several years.
She was a resident of the VA Home for nearly five years and her family is extremely grateful to the attentive and loving care provided by its entire staff and that of the private sitters in the last year of her life.
Born Oct. 14, 1927, to George and Gladys Gardiner Barousse, Betty graduated from Jennings High School and began nurse training at Touro Infirmary until World War II ended, when she married her childhood sweetheart, Norman Briggs, in 1947. They were married for 71 years and raised six children.
Norman died in 2018.
In addition to being an exceptional homemaker, seamstress, square dancer, outstanding cook and baker, a Cub Scout den mother and a Boy Scout pack mother, Betty also worked part-time for a few years at the Jennings Daily News as a copy editor.
As her children all left the nest, and in her late 40s, Betty resumed her nursing education by commuting to LSU-Eunice, graduating with a 4.0 GPA at age 49 as a Registered Nurse. She then worked at the Jennings hospital and both Jennings nursing homes before retiring in as Director of Nursing at Jeff Davis Living Center.
Betty and Norman drove through their retirement years in a series of fixer-upper motorhomes, crisscrossing the U.S. and Canada, visiting their grandchildren in far away cities and making new friends at every thrift shop and flea market along the highways.
They also navigated trips to Europe and Hawaii, despite their advanced ages. But, their home in Jennings was always the center for huge family gatherings for holidays and all birthdays, where MawMaw was at her happiest surrounded by grandkids and great-grandkids, and with a slice of cake on her plate.
Betty was a bargain shopper, a devout Catholic, loved all babies, a good story teller, a slow eater, was quick with her serene smile and numerous facial expressions, loved her blue recliner and was a great teacher and trainer to her nursing employees.
Betty is survived by her six children; daughter, Cherie Earles and husband Dana in New Braunfels, Texas, son Kirk and wife Karen in Lafayette, son Tim and wife Janice in Arnaudville, son Monte and wife Sue of Crowley, son Kevin and wife Susan of Lafayette, and daughter Kathy Briggs of Jennings; 14 grandchildren scattered in Louisiana, Texas, California, Oregon, Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama and Italy; 18 great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.
She is predeceased by one great-grandson.
Betty is also survived by one brother, Fr. Raphael Barousse, a Benedictine monk and priest at St. Joseph Abbey in Covington. The Abbey monks have handcrafted Betty’s custom cypress casket.
Betty’s only other sibling, Jimmy Barousse, husband of Arlene Kennedy of Rayne, died in 1973.
Visitation will be at Miguez Funeral Home from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with a rosary at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, with a Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church at 2 p.m. with Fr. Charles McMillin officiating.
Entombment at Cavalry Cemetery in Jennings under the direction of Miguez Funeral Home.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.miguezfuneralhome.com.
November 19, 1926 ~ December 5, 2019
Going Home Celebration will be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, for Elaine Vidrine Howerton, 93, who passed away on Dec. 5, 2019, in Jennings, surrounded by loved ones.
Brother Kevin West, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ville Platte, will conduct funeral services.
Burial will take place in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
The eternal soul of “Miss Elaine” was gloriously ushered into Heaven on Thursday following a lengthy illness.
At an early age, she professed total trust in Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and has at last realized that blessed hope! A longtime member of First Baptist Church of Ville Platte, she taught Sunday School there for years.
Elaine’s passion to serve others was exhibited through her job and community involvement. She served the people of Evangeline Parish as LSU Extension AgCenter 4-H Club agent 1946-1952, substitute teacher 1952-1959, LSU 4-H agent 1959-1970; LSU home demonstration agent 1970 until retirement in 1986.
Elaine was on boards of directors for the Cotton Festival, Rural Area Development, CODOFIL, Council on Aging, and VP hospital. She was selected to reign as Colonel Cotton of the festival one year.
She was honored by the National Junior Horticulture Association in 1970 for success coaching of five teams and three individuals to win National level contests.
Elaine was recognized for her work in the Expanded Nutrition Program where she reached over 700 families and youth. Devotion to family was all important, leaving behind a legacy of faith in God, service to others, and love for all.
Elaine is survived by her daughters, Patty Vidrine Daigle (husband Glenn) of Jennings, Peggy Vidrine Brown (husband Gary) of Moss Bluff; brother, Byron “Sonny” Prather (wife Inge) of Lake Charles; grandchildren, Tiffany McMillan (husband Hoyt) of Eagle, Idaho; Derek Brown and Donovan Brown (wife Caitlin) of Lake Charles; and great-grandchildren, Asher, Titus, Hannah, and Jude McMillan of Idaho.
She is preceded in death by: parents, Ulric and Nell Prather; husbands, Leroy Vidrine and Eugene Howerton; infant children, Kenneth Roy and Linda Sue Vidrine; and sister, Ruby Lee Keller (husband Whitney).
Pallbearers will be Gary, Derek, and Donovan Brown; Glenn Daigle; Jimmy Flynn; and Roger Lee Smith.
You are invited to visitation at Ardoin’s Funeral Home of Ville Platte on Sunday from noon until prior to church service.
Ardoin’s Funeral Home of Ville Platte is in charge of arrangements.
Feel free to leave messages for the family at www.ardoinfuneralhomes.com.
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Crowley Post-Signal
602 N. Parkerson Ave, Crowley, LA 70526
Phone: 337-783-3450
Fax: 337-788-0949
Rayne-Acadian Tribune
108 North Adams, Rayne, LA 70578
Phone: 337-334-3186
Fax: 337-334-8474
Church Point News
c/o The Eunice News, 465 Aymond St., Eunice, LA 70535
Phone: 337-457-3061