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A memorial service was held on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. at Fountain Memorial Funeral Home, 1010 Pandora Street, Lafayette, LA 70506 for Jeffory Dwayne Pray, 56, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who passed away from congestive heart failure, on Monday, Jan. 7, 2017.
Visitation was observed on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 12:30 p.m. until the time of services at Fountain Memorial Funeral Home in Lafayette.
Inurnment will follow in Fountain Memorial Cemetery in Lafayette.
Jeffory was born September 21, 1960, the son of James and Mary Pray. He was an Acadiana High School graduate of 1978.
Jeffory was loved dearly by his family including his wife of 30 years, Carolyn Hanks Pray; his daughter, Ava Grace, 12, and his son, Beau Cameron, 17. He is also survived by his mother, Mary Pray; his sisters, Valeri Pray Ronstadt and Deblyn Pray Ceeley and one brother, Steve Pray.
Online obituary and guest book may be viewed at www.fountainmemorialfuneralhome.com.
Fountain Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 1010 Pandora St., (337) 981-7098 is in charge of arrangements.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home Chapel for Ernest John Wales Jr., 94, who died Jan. 26, 2017, at Acadia General Hospital.
Rev. Robert Geter will be officiating for the services. The family is requesting visiting hours to be held Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 8 a.m. to the time of service at 1 p.m. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Mr. Wales was born in Natalbany. He served in the Pacific as a belly turret gunner on a B-17 in the United States Army Air Corp during World War II. Mr. Wales started working for Southern Bell which became Bellsouth and retired as a district construction manager after 34 years of service.
He is survived by two daughters, Amelia Smith of Denham Springs and Sherry Summers and her husband, Victor of Ponchatoula; two sons, John Wales and his companion, Melissa Holloway of Rayne and Mark Wales and his wife, Tamarah of Lafayette; two sisters, Georgialene Kirkwood of Metairie and Ruth Plautz of Wisconsin; one brother, Kenneth Wales of Virginia; 10 grandchildren, Jude Guillory and his wife, Lisa, Nicole Miller and her husband, Kendal, Kayla Link and her husband, Lance, Ashley Blessing and her husband, Adam, Eric Wales and his wife, Abby, Mark Summers, Carolina Wales, Jesse Wales, Luke Wales and Zachary Wales; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Wales is preceded in death by his first wife, Evelyn Gibson Wales; his second wife, Twila Champlin Wales; his parents, Ernest and Amelia Thompson Wales; three sisters, Dorothy Rogers, Mildred Morel and Phil Taylor; and one brother, Kelvin Wales.
Condolences may be sent to the family by www.geesey-ferguson.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home of Crowley, LA.
Alton was born in Morse on Dec. 18, 1937, to Alphonse and Adele Saltzman Primeaux. He was called to his Heavenly Father on Jan. 25, 2017. Alton served our country honorably in the Army and was a member of the American Legion, Acadia Parish Tourist Commission and the Knights of Columbus. Alton was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church which he loved. He worked as a Jewelry and Church Interior Consultant. Alton loved to travel, he was an avid fan of the Astros and the Saints. Alton truly loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Alton was a kind and loving person he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Alton is survived by his beloved wife Jo Ann Guidry Primeaux of Mermentau; his step-daughter, Angela Borill (Reese) of Morse; his two step-sons, Randall Rivera (Celie) of Lafayette and Miguel Rivera of Crowley; one brother, Floyd Primeaux (Rose) of Mermentau; one adopted sister, Margaret Trahan (Cleveland “Tee”) of Crowley; his seven grandchildren, Ryan Rivera Hanks, Austin, Andrew, Payton Rivera, Eryn Borill, Aubrey Rivera and Alex Rivera; and two great-grandchildren, Ethan and Xadius Hanks
Alton is preceded in death by his parents, Alphonse and Adele Saltzman Primeaux.
A Mass of Christian burial for Alton Joseph Primeaux, 79, of Mermentau will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Mermentau, LA on Friday, Jan. 27, at 11 a.m. with Father Randall Moreau officiating. Visitation was held at Matthews and Son Funeral Home in Jennings on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a rosary recited at 6 p.m. by Deacon Summers. Visitation will resume on Friday at 8 a.m. until the time of his funeral Mass. Alton will be laid to rest in the St. John the Evangelist Mausoleum with Full Military Rites.
Carrying Alton to his final resting place in St. John the Evangelist Mausoleum will be Austin Rivera, Andrew Rivera, Chuck Martin, Charles Primeaux, Elmo Romero and Timothy Hanks. Honorary Pallbearers will be Alex Rivera, Blaine Koch and Brent Romero.
To extend online condolences, please visit our website at www.matthewsandsonfuneralhome.net.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Matthews & Son Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Grangeville Baptist Church in Pine Grove for Bobbie Lee Fogleman Miller, 91, who died at home Jan. 23, 2017.
Rev. Mike Cotton will officiate the service. Visiting hours will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of service. Interment will be in Shiloh Cemetery in Pine Grove.
Bobbie, who was born in Iota, was a resident of Pine Grove at the time of her death.
She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Frank R. and Ruth Miller and Gerald W. and Susan Miller; one daughter and son-in-law, Wesley and Bobbie Miller Hoover; 11 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank C. Miller; her parents, Edward D. and Curtis Elizabeth Fogleman; one daughter, Sharon Gayle Miller; two sisters, Joy Fogleman Miller and Vivian Fogleman Schoenvogel; and one brother, Edward O. Fogleman.
Pallbearers will be Joel Schoenvogel, Jacob Glass, John Woodward, John William Miller, Eric Dupre, Matt Cole, Trey Ware and Brian Hoover. Honorary pallbearers will be Beau Woodward and Glenn Hoover Jr.
Grangeville Baptist Church is located at 3599 Hwy. 63, Pine Grove, LA 70453.
MIRE - Funeral services will be held Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, at a 11:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Mire for Clara "Lynn" Stelly Credeur, 58, who died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at her residence.
Interment will be in the Assumption of the BVM Cemetery in Mire.
Very Rev Msgr Russell Harrington, Pastor of St. John Berchman Catholic Church in Cankton, will be the Celebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct the funeral services. Con-celebrants will be Rev. Mike Arnold, Pastor of Assumption Catholic Church in Mire, and Rev. Allen Breaux. Readers will be Jeffery Hammonds and Wanda Thibodeaux. Musicians will be Pat Menard, Tammy Credeur Gautreaux, and Beth Hebert. Selection will be I Can Only Imagine, How Great Thou Art, Because He Lives, Hail Mary Gentle Woman, It is Well With My Soul.
Survivors include her husband, Roland Credeur of Mire; daughter, Claire Renee Credeur Hammonds and husband Jeffrey of Houston, Texas; mother, Dorothy Prejean Stelly DeRouen and husband Howard DeRouen, II of Scott; two sisters, Dianne Stelly Besse and husband Peter A Besse of Scott, and Alane Stelly Gary and husband Blake Gary of Mire; two brothers, Brian A. Stelly and wife Janice Credeur Stelly of Houston, Texas, and Perry L. Stelly of Scott; four sisters-in-law, Elaine Credeur of Rayne, Wanda C. Thibodeaux and husband Mayor Johnny Thibodeaux of Duson, Janice C. Stelly and husband Brian Stelly of Houston, Texas, and Debbie C. Foreman and husband David Foreman of Indian Bayou; eleven honorary grandchildren, Elliot Dore', Camille Dore', Charlotte Dore', Caroline Dore', Mia Besse, Avery Gary, Fisher Gary (due in March), Olivia Stelly, Ashlyn Faucheux, Austin Faucheux and Jackson Faucheux.
She was preceded in death by father, Marion Joseph Stelly; father-in-law, Lawrence "Bee" Credeur; and mother-in-law, Viola C. Credeur.
Lynn was a member of Assumption of the BVM Catholic Church in Mire, she was also a member of Catholic Daughters of America Court 2214 and served as Vice Regent for two years, and a member of the Ladies Altar Society at Assumption of the BVM Catholic Church. She worked for Dr. A. N. McCallum in Lafayette for many years.
Pallbearers will be Derek Stelly, Jonathan Besse, Blaine Gary, Brent Boyer, Brandon Faucheux and Nick Morgan. Honorary Pallbearers will be Jeffrey Hammonds, and Seth Chapman.
A Rosary will be prayed Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7:00 p.m. in Gossen Funeral Home in Rayne.
The family requests that visitation be observed at Gossen Funeral Home in Rayne on Thursday January 26, 2017 from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm and on Friday January 27, 2017 from 8:00 am to 10:30 am.
Friends may view the obituary and guestbook online at www.gossenfuneralhome.net.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Gossen Funeral Home, Inc. of Rayne, LA
With some effort — including phone calls to the national American Legion headquarters in Washington, D.C. — Clarence Arsement is receiving the recognition he deserves.
During the Tuesday (Jan. 3) meeting of Arceneaux Post 77, American Legion, Arsement was honored for having 52 years of continuous membership in the American Legion.
Ray Olinger, membership chairman for the local Post, made the presentation to Arsement.
“I want to thank all of you for your efforts,” Arsement said in accepting the recognition, noting that he had held numerous offices — including that of Commander for two years — in the Rayne American Legion.
Recounting the efforts to get his records straight, Arsement, a veteran of the Korean War, added, “I think I’ve actually been (an American Legion member) longer than 52 years, but I’ll take this.”
In other business, it was reported that membership in Post 77 now stands at about 150.
“There have been a few memberships that came in recently that haven’t been entered yet,” said Lorraine Shelton Gaines.
Commander David Simon reported that the Veterans Adminiistration Clinic in Lafayette is now open and that it offers state-of-the-art health care for veterans.
He urged local veterans to take advantage of the services there.
Simon went on to say that, while weather negatively impacted attendance at the Legion-sponsored “Saturday Night Dances” in December, the Post will continue with the fund-raising program.
He announced that High Performance was scheduled to perform on Saturday, Jan. 14, and that Ronnie Matthews and Throwdown will be back for another performance on Jan. 21.
These dances are open to the general public. Admission is $10 per person and the music is provided from 8 or 8:30 p.m. (depending upon the band) until midnight.
Brief discussion was held concerning the placement of a stop for the planned bus transit system connecting Crowley with Lafayette with stops in Rayne, Duson and Scott.
Some Legionnaires seemed leery of allowing the general public to utilized the parking lot across American Legion Drive from the Legion Home for fear of liability in the event of burglaries or injury.
John Quebodeaux pointed out that another Rayne “bus stop” is being planned at the South Rayne Park.
“That’s just three or four blocks from here,” he said.
The buses will generally follow U.S. 90 from Crowley to Lafayette and back, providing rides for a small fee. The system is tentatively planned to begin operation some time around March.
Finally, Simon noted that Post 77 would sponsor the January birthday party for patients at the Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Home in Jennings.
Following the meeting, a chicken and sausage gumbo meal was served.
Church Point - Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Church Point for Lowray Joseph Chachere, 95.
Mr. Chachere, a native of Lewisburg and long-time resident of Church Point, died Sunday evening, Jan. 8, 2017, at his residence.
Father Godwin Nzeh conducted the services with interment immediately following in the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Cemetery on Highway 35 north of Church Point.
Survivors include five grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, friends and those he met in business and social settings.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Delphie and Corine Beaugh Chachere; his wife, Nolarie Chachere; a stepson, Foster Ray Ross and two sisters, Violet Hebert and Georgie Cook.
The family requested that visiting hours be observed at Guidry Funeral Home from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and continue from 8 a.m. Wednesday until the time of the services. A recitation of the Rosary was held there at 7 p.m. Tuesday by Deacon Bryne Winn.
Pallbearers were Matt Chachere, Joe Cook, Chet Gibson, Blake Boone, Ricky Messere, Tommy Hebert, David Ross and Andrew Pousson.
Honorary pallbearers were Burt Prather, Aby Lavergne, Albert and Frank Daigle, Ronald Carrier, Cecile Brown and John Kelly LeJeune.
Mr. Chachere, a well-loved and respected contractor in a wide area in South Louisiana, was a U.S. Army veteran of the Pacific Theater of World War II. He was honored with a Flag Presentation Ceremony at the time of services.
Funeral arrangements were handled by Guidry Funeral Home, Inc., 219 N. Broadway, Church Point, (337) 684-5488.
View the obituary and guest book on-line at guidryfuneralhome.com.
March 04, 1943 ~
January 07, 2017
EUNICE - The family’s hearts are filled with sorrow, as they announce the passing of their loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and friend, Ernest William Bieber on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at the age of 73.
A Celebration of Life was celebrated at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the First Baptist Church in Lafayette. Interment followed in the Mowata Baptist Cemetery with Dr. Steve Horn officiating.
Ernest was a 1961 graduate of Crowley High School and a 1965 graduate of U.S.L. He was a retired farmer and oilfield worker.He was a former deacon at the First Baptist Church in Lafayette.
Ernest was an oil and gas land man and liked gardening and hunting.
He will be truly missed by all the lives he has touched, especially his wife of 48 years, Ann Bieber of Branch; his daughter, Katherine Bieber of St. Maarten; and son, Link Bieber and wife Courtney of Branch; his four siblings, Blanche Wallis of Westlake, Roland Bieber of Nederland, Texas, Robert and David Bieber both of Mowata; the six joys of his life, his grandchildren, Karoline Deshotels, Hanna Bieber, Katelyn Boudreaux, Ashlyn, Madilyn and Hunter Bieber; and three great-grandchildren, Cy and Jace Deshotels and Aiden Bieber; as well as extended family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and RosaB Norman Bieber.
At the request of the family, visitation was held at Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Eunice on Monday, Jan. 9, from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. and on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at First Baptist Church in Lafayette from 9 a.m. until time of services.
Family and friends are invited to view this obituary and sign the guestbook at www.ardoinfuneralhomes.com
Ardoin’s Funeral Home of Eunice, 1301 W. Laurel Ave., (337) 457-3371, was in charge of arrangements.
Funeral services were held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, at a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rayne for Linda Pellerin Arceneaux, 66, who died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, at her residence in Rayne.
Interment was in the St. Joseph Cemetery #2 in Rayne.
Fr. Sam Fontana, associate pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church of Rayne, was the celebrant of the Funeral Mass and conducted the funeral services.
Survivors include her husband of 48 years, John “Piggy” Arceneaux of Rayne; three sons, John Craig Arceneaux and wife Christe of Rayne, Scott Arceneaux and wife Bridget of Watson, and Chad Arceneaux and wife Stefanie of Rayne; daughter, Aimee Arceneaux of New Orleans; two step-sons, Steve Arceneaux and wife Klaire of Baton Rouge, and Erick Arceneaux and wife Donna Smiley of Inyokem, California; two step-daughters, Donna Arceneaux Melancon and husband Darrell of Rayne, and Inger Arceneaux Meche and husband Glen of Rayne; 22 grandchildren; three great grandchildren; sister, Kathy Pellerin Fruge of Ashburn, Virginia; and two half-brothers, Patrick Pellerin of Rayne and Mitchell Pellerin of Mamou.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Freddie Pellerin and Yolande Breaux Pellerin; sister, Juanita Pellerin Alford; and two grandsons, David Melancon and Logan Meche.
Pallbearers were her grandsons, Michael Melancon, Nathan Arceneaux, Ian Meche, JC Arceneaux II, Kyle Arceneaux, and Austin Arceneaux.
Honorary pallbearers were her grandsons Neil Melancon, Jake Melancon, Thomas Arceneaux, Jordan Meche, Owen Arceneaux, and Beau Arceneaux, family friend Will Lally, and godchild Jeremy Alford.
Linda started her career at The Rayne Acadian-Tribune then went on to work for Security Plan Insurance for 35 years. In recognition of her service and dedication, the company recently named its training school after her.
She was a active member in her community and in St. Joseph Catholic Church.
She was an adoring and loving Nana, Nanny, and Aunt to all of her nieces and nephews. She enjoyed traveling, spending time watching her children and grandchildren in sporting events, being a mom to anyone who came to her home and pursuing adventures with her TR gang. To everyone she met, she was an instant friend and left a lasting impression on them because of her bright smile, caring heart and comforting hugs.
A Rosary was prayed at 7 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 8, in Gossen Funeral Home in Rayne.
The family requested that visitation be observed in Gossen Funeral Home on Sunday, Jan. 8, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Monday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Arceneaux family would like to thank her special angel and friend Paulette Thibodeaux and husband JD for all their love and support. They would like to thank Dr. Joseph Brierre and his staff, Heart of Hospice, Lafayette General and Kerry Lamkin for the care they provided her during her illness.
For those wishing to honor her memory with a charitable gift, the family requests donation be made to the Miles Perret Center, 2130 Kaliste Saloom Rd #200, Lafayette, LA 70508.
Friends may view the obituary and guestbook online at www.gossenfuneralhome.net
Arrangements were entrusted to Gossen Funeral Home, Inc., of Rayne, (337) 334-3141.
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