Dr. Gerald J. Elias, Jr.
NEW IBERIA — A funeral mass was held on Friday, September 25, 2020, at 10 AM at St Peter’s Catholic Church in New Iberia for Dr. Gerald James Elias, Jr., age 61, who died unexpectedly in the early hours of Sunday, September 20, 2020, at Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital.
The family requested that visitation be observed at Pellerin Funeral Home from 2:30 PM to 8 PM on Thursday, with a rosary scheduled for 6:30; and from 8 AM to 9 AM on Friday. Interment followed at Holy Family Mausoleum in New Iberia.
Reverend Bryce Sibley, Pastor of Our Lady of Wisdom in Lafayette, was the celebrant of the funeral mass.
Survivors include his son, Andrew E. Elias (of New Iberia), his daughter, Rebecca C. Elias (of Baton Rouge), his former wife, Janet Schexnayder (of Slidell); his mother, Janice Barras Elias, and six sisters: Karen E. Doll and her husband Bob (of Searcy, AR), Harriet E. Hoag and her husband Monty, Charlotte E. Spicer (of Lake Charles), Frances E. Fenstermaker and her husband Mark (of Lafayette), Edith E. Thornton and her husband Lyman (of Baton Rouge), and Michelle E. Van Duzee and her husband Tony (of Baton Rouge).
He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Gerald J. Elias, Sr.
Born in New Orleans on September 3, 1959, Dr. Elias was a resident of New Iberia for most of his life. He will be remembered by his many patients and friends for his personalized, professional care and for his response, often in the form of house calls, at all hours of the day and night. Gerald graduated from Catholic High School of New Iberia in 1977. He received a B.S. from Louisiana State University in 1983, and he received his M.D. from LSU Medical School in New Orleans in 1990. He completed his Family Practice Residency at University Medical Center in 1993 and immediately assumed the practice of his father, who had passed away in February of that year. He served as Deputy Coroner in Iberia Parish since the mid-1990s. In 2006 he co-authored the book “Common Sense Medicine” alongside Donald A. Pavy and Craig Frederick. On weekends for the past several years, he was the Emergency Room Physician at Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital, where he was on-call at the moment of his passing.
Gerald was called “Bird” by his friends and “Zookie” by his family. He fondly remembered his time playing high school football and competing in the high jump. In the mid-90’s, he played drums in Backstreet, a cover band that once performed at the Krewe of Iberians Mardi Gras ball. He coached baseball at Evangeline Little League, coached pee-wee and middle-school football at CHS, and founded the CHS chess club (c.2002-2004); in all of these he strongly emphasized character development and etiquette/sportsmanship. He was an ardent supporter of the CHS Alumni Association and Panther Club; and of the Iberia Performing Arts League, which still uses the front-of-house speakers he donated. He was known to often wear a Martin Guitars t-shirt, and he was never far from an ice chest of cold Coca-Colas.
Pallbearers will be Andrew Elias, Robert “Bob” Doll, Elmer “Monty” Hoag, Mark Fenstermaker, Lyman Thornton III, Anthony “Tony” Van Duzee, Kerry Broussard, Michael Caffery Sr., and Dr. Kent Miller.
Honorary pallbearers will be: his godsons Scott Elias and Austinn Miller; Dr. Kyle Acosta; Kahlil Ackal; Ricky Barras, Dicky Barras, Matt Molbert, and the rest of the CHS Class of 1977; and all surviving members of Backstreet, including Jeff Landry.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in his name to Team Gleason, either at www.teamgleason.org or to “Team Gleason, P.O. Box 24493, NOLA 70184”.
To view on-line obituary, sign guest book, and view video tribute, please go to www.pellerinfuneralhome.com
Pellerin Funeral Home, 502 Jefferson Terrace, New Iberia, LA 70560, 337.365.3331, is in charge of the arrangements.