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Jun 22, 1942 — Jul 21, 2026

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Gerald James Clostio, 84, will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, at St. Theresa Catholic Church with Fr. Francois Sainte-Marie officiating. Interment will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. until the time of service on Friday, July 24, 2026, with a recitation of the rosary at 11 a.m.
Gerald was a loving husband, devoted father, and proud grandfather whose family meant the world to him.
He proudly served his country in the United States Army, a service he carried with honor and pride throughout his life.
After returning home, Gerald dedicated 47 years to Borden's Dairy as a home delivery driver. He was known for his strong work ethic, dependability, and friendly nature.
Gerald enjoyed the simple pleasures in life. He loved listening to country music, watching old Western movies, cheering on the Houston Astros, and anything red, white, and blue. His love for his country was evident in the way he lived his life.
Gerald will be remembered for his kindness, patriotism, unwavering dedication to his family, and the lasting impact he made on those who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Broussard Clostio; a daughter, Christine Saxby; five sons, James “Buddy” Clostio and his wife Sharon, Eric Clostio and his wife Dawn, Scott Clostio and his wife Jackie, Trent Clostio and his wife Kay, and Cody Clostio; thirteen grandchildren, Quinn Saxby and his wife Mali, Conrad Saxby and his wife Chelsea, Jenee Higginbotham and her husband Andrew, Coy Clostio and his wife Ashley, Tiffany Simon and her husband Stoney, Doies Gaspard and his wife Ashley, Laney Lege and her husband Pierre, John Eric Clostio, Hunter Clostio, Kaylan Huntsberry and her husband Charles, Mary Ellen Marceaux and her husband Brilan, Trey Clostio, and Zaylor Clostio; twenty-three great-grandchildren; three great-grandchildren on the way; a sister, Patsy Romero and her husband Leland; a sister-in-law, Nellie Broussard; and countless nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Arvis and Eunice Derpin Clostio; Dolores Mire, Donald Clostio; two in-laws, Perfay Broussard and Lillian Broussard; and a brother-in-law, Howard Broussard.
Serving as pall bearers will be Hunter Clostio, Trey Clostio, Doies Gaspard, John Eric Clostio, Zaylor Clostio, and Coy Clostio.
Serving as honorary pall bearers will be Quinn Saxby, Conrad Saxby, Stoney Simon, Pierre Lege, Aiden Simon, Charles Huntsberry, Brilan Marceaux, and Andrew Higginbotham.
The family would like to offer their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Acadiana Health Home Care, Timari, Amy, Anne, the nurses at the VA of Lafayette, the staff at Maison de Lafayette, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital for all their comfort and care they shared with Mr. Gerald and his family.
Family and friends may sign the guest register book and/or send condolences at www.friouxfuneralhome.com
Frioux Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity Street (337) 893-3777 will be in charge of the arrangements.

MAURICE - Maurice Mayor Neil Arsement filed a public records request with the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, seeking information on the total revenue generated from a 4.87 millage that the residents of Maurice are currently paying.
Instead of receiving responses to the 11 questions he posed in an E-mail and a hand-delivered letter, he received a letter from police jury attorney Paul Moresi III stating that the millage proposition he inquired about does not exist.
Every year, tax statements for residents of Maurice and those living nearby include a line item labeled “Road District 3-2.”
This millage costs approximately $35 annually per household in Maurice.
Arsement submitted a public records request because he said the police jury is not allocating any of the 4.87 millage collected in Maurice to maintain the town’s roads.
The Mayor wanted to know how much money Maurice generated from the millage in 2021 through 2025, and which road projects were completed in Maurice using that money.
Instead of receiving responses to his inquiries, Arsement got a letter from Moresi on June 26. The letter clarified that Moresi could not address his public request regarding “Road District 3-2” because, according to Moresi, “There is no parish entity named Road District 3-2. As such, there are no public records that pertain to your request.”
This response from the police jury attorney left Arsement in disbelief, especially since his 2025 tax statement indicated “Road District 3-2” and showed that $11.79 was to be collected.
Arsement said, “Let me read that again. They (the police jury) charge you for a road district. It prints on your tax bill every single year. And when someone finally asks where the money goes, the police jury’s own lawyer says the district does not exist. If it does not exist, why are we paying for it? Where is the money going?”
Vermilion Parish Tax Assessor Gabe Marceaux did his best to explain in simple terms why Moresi wrote that the parish does not have a Road District 3-2, when in fact it does.
The parish is divided up into taxing districts and those taxing districts are subdivided into smaller taxing districts. In and around Maurice, it is called District 2, Sub-3 according to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s website.
Marceaux said Sub-3, District 2 is the same as District 2, Sub-3. The only difference is that the words and the numbers are flipped.
However, on everyone’s tax bill, it is listed as District 3-2. Moresi may have looked for District 3, Sub 2, and found no records of a tax being collected by the police jury.
“You would think the attorney of the police jury should do a little research and learn that the verbiage that shows up on the tax assessment bill is the same exact verbiage that I am asking for in a public records request,” said Arsement. “Instead, he wanted to be technical and cute by saying District 3-2 does not exist.
“I just want to know how much is being collected from the residents of Maurice and how much of that money is being spent in Maurice,” Arsement said.
Police Juror Dane Hebert, who is the police juror for Maurice and the area around Maurice, said Arsement has been given the answers to his questions by Hebert and police jury administrator Keith Roy over the last few months. The two have met with Arsement.
“He may not have liked our answers, but we provided him with answers,” said Hebert.
Hebert, who has been a police juror for 20 years, explained that the “District 3-2” property tax collects just over $100,000 a year. That money has to be used for road repairs in the city of Maurice and around the Maurice area.
“It is not a lot of money,” said Hebert. Hebert explained that not much road work can be done for $100,000 in and around Maurice. He gave the example that resurfacing and repairing almost a mile of road will cost $800,000.
Hebert said that, under state law, the police juror from the district has the final say on how property tax revenue may be spent. Hebert could spend all $100,000 outside the city limits of Maurice, share the money with the town for road projects, or use all of the money to repair roads in Maurice.
Arsement mentioned that he filed a public records request to find out the precise amount of revenue generated by the tax and how much of that money was used for road repairs in Maurice over the past four years.
Hebert said the police jury has worked on the streets in Maurice, filling pot holes at no expense to the city.
Hebert recently spent most of the $100,000 to repair a road outside the city limits. Hebert said he has explained that information to Arsement.
“I can spend the money as I see fit and as wisely as I can,” Hebert said. “I explained all that to him. If he has a question about the tax, my phone is always on. In the 20 years of being a police juror, I have never had an issue with a Maurice mayor as I have with Neil.”

June 17, 1928 ~July 8, 2026

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, July 11, 2026, at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, Abbeville, for Betty D. Derouen, 98 years of age, who died Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at The Vermilion at Eastridge Assisted Living with her daughter and son-in-law by her side.
Betty was born June 17, 1928, in Henry, Louisiana, and was a graduate of Abbeville High School, class of 1945. She was a wonderful seamstress, loved to embroider, and made beautiful quilts, being so proud of her perfect stitches and mitered corners. She had a strong sense of values and cared for others deeply, always having an open-door policy and a hot cup of coffee and desserts as well as a delicious home-cooked meal for all. She loved visitors and had a vivacious personality. Her family was her greatest joy, and her loving care for all of them will never be forgotten.
Betty is survived by her daughter, Marilyn D. Hebert married to Glynn K. Hebert and their sons, Brett Mathew Hebert married to Kristin Locantro, Dr. Jacob Michael Hebert married to Natalie DeMoss, and Ethan Thomas Hebert; her son, Jody James Derouen and his daughter, Morgan Elizabeth Derouen Angelle married to James Angelle; and her great grandchildren, Kambry Roane Hebert, Tanner Reid Hebert, Harper Rose Hebert, Finley Garnette Hebert, Beckett Levon Hebert, Anna Elizabeth Angelle, Libby Claire Angelle and Mary Madeleine Angelle.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Alwin James Derouen; parents, Leonce Dubois and Enite Thibodeaux Dubois; brothers, Lifey Dubois and Jean Ray Dubois; and sisters, Thelma Dubois Bergeron and Gloria Dubois Choate.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home, Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 9:00 AM until 10:45 AM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary will be recited at 10:00 AM. Inurnment will follow at St. Mary Magdalen Cemetery. The Reverend Louis Richard will officiate all services.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to The Vermilion at Eastridge Assisted Living for all their support and care and to Hospice of Acadiana.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to Vermilion Catholic, a legacy of Mount Carmel, or Hospice of Acadiana in Betty’s memory.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville (337) 893-4661.

ERATH — On July 4, Erath native Marlene Menard, daughter of Donald Menard and the late Lucy Menard, announced her candidacy for Mayor of Erath, bringing a lifetime of public service and leadership to a campaign focused on communication, transparency, accountability, and community participation.
After graduating from Erath High School, Menard earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and her law degree from LSU Law School. Following law school, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court before pursuing a career in law and public service that took her from Louisiana to Dallas, Washington, D.C., and assignments around the world. During her career, she served as an attorney, a Dallas Assistant City Attorney, a Trademark Attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and a U.S. Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.
For Menard, life has come full circle. Although her career took her across the country and around the world, her roots in Erath remained strong. Following her retirement, life brought her back to the town she has always called home. After returning to be with her family, she became an active participant in Town Council meetings and community affairs. Today, she is restoring a home in Erath while seeking the opportunity to help strengthen the town she has always loved.
“Throughout my career, I’ve learned that the best decisions are made when people are informed, listened to, and invited to participate,” Menard said. “That’s the kind of leadership I hope to bring to Erath—leadership rooted in communication, transparency, and accountability.”
Menard said she believes local government works best when citizens and their elected officials work together.
“I believe public engagement is essential to good local government,” she said. “I also believe our strongest communities are built on shared responsibility, where residents and their elected officials work together toward common goals. By listening carefully to one another, we can recognize the ideas and concerns common across our community. Those shared priorities, I believe, should help guide the work of local government.”
“It would be an honor to serve as Mayor of Erath,” Menard said. “I look forward to working alongside the people of Erath, listening with respect, leading with transparency, and always putting Erath first.”
Candidate qualifying for the municipal election will be held August 5–7 at the Vermilion Parish Clerk of Court’s Office.
For additional information about the campaign, visit the Marlene Menard for Mayor Facebook page or contact the campaign using the information below.

Media Contact

Marlene Menard for Mayor Campaign
Email: menardformayor@gmail.com
Phone: (337) 385-3074
Facebook: Marlene Menard for Mayor

Paid for by Marlene Menard