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November 15, 1978 ~ February 22, 2023

ABBEVILLE—A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at St. James Church honoring the life of Heather Marie Theall, 44, who died Wednesday, February 22, 2023. She will be laid to rest at Esther Community Cemetery with Reverend Emmanuel Fernandez officiating the services. Serving as pallbearers will be Weston Theall, Troy Theall, Blake Bourque, Bram Hinckley, Clay Sellers and Cody Lege.  Honorary pallbearers will be Aden Gaspard and Cade Theall. Lectors for the Mass will be Morgan Comeaux and Jade Baudoin.
Heather was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, GiGi, and aunt. In her free time, she enjoyed working cattle, caring for others, and doing arts and crafts. During her working years, she was a dedicated nurse. In 2017 and 2018, she was nominated for the Nurse of the Year. Heather also devoted her time as a medic and firefighter for the 7th Ward and District 13 Fire Department. Many may also remember morning talks with Heather as she sipped her coffee and said “if something doesn’t feel right, check it out.”
She is survived by her mother, Willa Theall; four children, Weston Theall, Morgan Comeaux, Aden Gaspard and Ava Gaspard; grandson, Cade Theall; sister, Heidi Theall; niece, Jade Baudoin; and three very special people, Oaklynn, Kamber Kibodeaux and Shane Perrin.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Weston and Lillie Theall; uncles Walter Theall and Dom Theall; and cousin, Ryan Hebert.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Friday, February 24, 2023 from 10:00 AM until 7:30 PM with a rosary being prayed at 6:00 PM.
A heartfelt appreciation is extended to the staff of Hospice of Acadiana, especially Whitney Credeur for their compassion, care and dedication given to Heather at her time of need.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

October 30, 1953 - February 21, 2023

A mass of Christian burial for Terry James Suire who died peacefully at home Tuesday will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 25. Deacon Russell Hayes will officiate. Scriptures will be read by their daughter Jill Viator.
Visitation will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Erath.
A Rosary will be recited on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Erath.
Interment will be private.
Terry was born on October 30, 1953 to the late Leo Suire and Rose Carlin Suire. Terry was the first born of nine children. As the first born he became a role model for the children that followed. At an early age Terry was expected to set the standard for his little brothers and sisters and became their surrogate parent, a role he took seriously his entire life. He was always helping one or the other and kept the family together. When he spoke of his siblings it was with love and affection.
As the oldest child of a large family Terry knew early in life that higher education came at a premium. After graduating high school, he was determined to get a college degree even if it meant extra work and self denial. He was not afraid of the work, something he inherited from his beloved momma. Terry earned money by driving a bus from Delcambre to UL bringing friends and anyone else who had no other means to get to school. Terry’s job required him leaving home early and staying late. He received a BS in wildlife management with a minor in French and began working for Texaco and Chevron. He retired as the operations supervisor.
Terry was a people person. He befriended people long before Face book coined the phrase. Terry kept his friends by being a friend. His smile was infectious. His short stature didn’t stop him from lighting up the room. His naiveté was natural. Terry never met a person he didn’t like or who didn’t like him. His Cajun heritage was evident with one of his famous expressions ”Ca lu goute de noix de pecan” meaning it taste as good as pecans, and if you know Terry, imagine him with that beautiful smile beaming from ear to ear or cooking his famous shrimp sauce piquant, or his love of gardening and hunting and fishing. He was obsessive about mowing his lawn and was a perfectionist. Cleanliness was another obsession inherited from his beloved Rose.
Terry is survived by his soul mate, love of his life and wife Mel, their son Jacob (Jake) Vincent, their daughters, Christy Derise (Karl), Jill Viator (Nick), Jena Rose Dupree (Chaz); his mother, Rose Carlin Suire; 11 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, 8 siblings, Susan Suire, Timmy Suire, Tammy Sonnier, Phallie Reed, Phyllis Touchet, Dean Suire, Babs Touchet, Jan Broussard, and beloved uncle Randall Suire. He was preceded in death by his beloved god father Harrison Carlin.
Terry we will miss you. Your absence is unbearable. Who is going to make us laugh? Who is going to make us whole again when the world seems to close in? Who is going to tell us it going to be alright? It is only natural that we are deeply saddened by your passing but GOD”S amazing grace will heal our sorrow so we can rejoice in your heavenly presence. GOD in his infinite wisdom knew you had fulfilled your earthly mission. When you could no longer sustain life, GOD brought you to your eternal home in Heaven. According to John 14:2 “In my father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”
There too, you will live for all eternity in the house of the Lord. Goodbye dearest husband, dad, paw T, brother, and friend until we meet again.
The family would like to thank Father Sensat and Deacon Russell Hayes for their support and spiritual guidance and the nurses at Bridgeway Healthcare and Hospice for their care giving during Terry’s hour of need. Thanks to Mr. Nick Barber for his kindness and empathy.
Cypress Funeral Home & Crematory of Maurice in charge of arrangements3123
337. 740 3123
Any donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.

Four Vermilion Parish boys’ basketball teams earned bids to the LHSAA playoffs, and two of them start their journeys to Marsh Madness at home.
The Abbeville High Wildcats (14-12) are the No. 16 seed in the non-select Division II playoff bracket and will open at home against No. 17 seed South Beauregard (20-12).
The game time is 7 p.m. on Friday.
Vermilion Catholic (14-6) is the No. 10 seed in the select Division IV bracket and plays its opener at home against No. 23 Magnolia School of Excellence (7-16) in Shreveport. Game time is at 6:30 on Friday.
Two other Vermilion Parish teams will open the postseason on the road, both in the non-select Division II bracket.
Erath (15-11) is seeded 26th and opens the playoffs at No. 7 Brusly (21-8). It’s Erath’s first playoff bid since 2006, according to EHS athletic director Eric LeBlanc. The game time is 7 p.m. on Friday in Brusly.
North Vermilion (10-14) is the No. 27 seed and travels to No. 6 Breaux Bridge (19-8) to open the playoffs.
First-round games must be played by Friday.
The LHSAA reconfigured its playoffs this season from 32 teams in most non-select brackets (Classes 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B and C) to 28 teams in Divisions I, II, III, IV and V.
With 28 teams in each division, the top four earn byes in the first round.
The select brackets feature 24 teams in Divisions I-IV and 14 teams in Division V. The top eight teams in Divisions I-IV have first-round byes. Division V starts with the regional round and the top two teams have a bye.
Abbeville had been seeded in the top five earlier this season but had to forfeit four games after using an ineligible player who had transferred in from Lafayette Parish. The resulting drop to No. 16 in the power ratings means the Wildcats will travel to No. 1 Wossman (27-4) for the second round if they win their playoff opener.
The winner of Vermilion Catholic’s game with Magnolia School travels to No. 7 Southern Lab (16-9) in the second round.
The winner of the Erath-Brusly game will face the winner of No. 10 LaGrange (20-7) and No. 23 Iota (18-10).
The North Vermilion-Breaux Bridge winner faces the winner of the first-round game between No. 11 Loranger (18-7) and No. 22 Pearl River (18-14).
The higher-seeded team is at home through the quarterfinals in the basketball playoff brackets.
The LHSAA’s state tournament, dubbed Marsh Madness, will be held March 6-11, at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
Three teams in the parish did not make the playoffs — Kaplan (9-18), Delcambre (8-20), and Gueydan (1-21).

The Vermilion Parish Police Jury said thanks but no thanks to the Alley Cat Allies’ request to help the Vermilion Parish Animal Shelter.
According to a press release, Alley Cat Allies reached out to the Vermilion Parish Police Jury with an offer of collaboration to implement lifesaving, effective programs to help the Parish’s shelter cats.
The organization, at no cost to the taxpayers, planned to:
• install new cat and dog kennels, fans, bedding, toys, and other supplies at the shelter
• spay and neuter and other necessary veterinary services for animals at the clinic.
• training for shelter personnel on the best and latest shelter operation practices.
• on the ground assistance with implementing these initiatives for the first seven weeks.
• work with the police jury to temporarily suspend or substantially reduce the intake of animals at the shelter while the above initiatives are being implemented.
At Wednesday night’s Police Jury meeting, the jurors heard from Debbie Garrot, who helps run the animal shelter between Abbeville and Kaplan. Garrot gave her two cents on Alley Cats Allies, a national organization that protects and improves the lives of cats and kittens.
Based on what she read and heard about Alley Cat Allies on the internet and Facebook, Garrot convinced the jurors to reject Alley Cat Allies’ offer of help at the Parish’s shelter.
She did recommend the cat organization could provide free spay and neutering clinics in the Parish.
According to a press release, Alley Cat Allies Program Director Alice Burton wrote to the Police Jury in January, outlining multiple areas of collaboration and support that Alley Cat Allies is offering to Vermilion Parish.
“We know from our experience in the state that every parish in Louisiana can enact our humane programs,” Burton said. “Louisiana citizens are supportive of and grateful for compassionate and effective approaches to the cats who share their communities.”
The press release states, “In return for assistance, Alley Cat Allies is asking that the shelter and Vermilion Parish adopt best practices for shelters, as recommended by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Burton further offered to Jurors in her letter that Alley Cat Allies would assist in bringing shelter operations in line with nationally recognized best practices.”
The Police Jury said at the meeting on Wednesday that no outside organization is telling the policy jury how to operate its shelter.
Alley Cat Allies did send a Lafayette lawyer to Wednesday’s Police Jury meeting. He spoke to the jurors for a few minutes.
In the press release, Burton explained in her letter that Alley Cat Allies has been active in Louisiana for decades, helping parishes improve their policies and programs for cats, launching a statewide animal cruelty prevention initiative, and providing supplies, food and resources in the wake of hurricanes and the pandemic.
The potential initiatives outlined in the letter to the Police Jury are the extent of what Alley Cat Allies is offering at this time, and Burton and the organization continue to seek dialogue with Police Jurors on these issues, the press release states.