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August 6, 1926 ~ January 13, 2023

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11:00 AM on Monday, January 16, 2023 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, honoring the life of Melise Marie Meaux Broussard, age 96, who passed Friday, January 13, 2023 at Abbeville General Hospital surrounded by her family. She was laid to rest at St. Mary Magdalen Cemetery with Fr. Charles Esuaiko officiating the services.
Melise graduated from SLI with B.A. in education. Survived living in a house with five teenagers at one time. She was a teacher for 25 years, a farmer’s/teacher’s wife and doting grandmother. Her hobbies included reading, travel, music and corresponding with French relatives. She also enjoyed collecting and refinishing antiques. She loved spending time traveling and going on vacation with many trips to Canada, Europe and Mexico. She also took many tours throughout the U.S.
She is survived by her sons, Gerald A. Broussard and Winston C. Broussard; daughters, Denise B. Purvis and Claire A. Broussard; 13 grandchildren; and 35 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Chester J. Broussard; son, Barton John Broussard; and brothers, D.J. Meaux and Dave Meaux.
Visitation was observed at Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St. Melise’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were joined by extended family and friends to share stories, hugs and celebrate her life.
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.

Tyrone Glover has carried the scoring load for the Abbeville High Wildcats for much of the 2022-23 basketball season so far.
But even head coach Trevor Eaton was surprised when he saw that his senior guard had scored 38 points on Tuesday in a non-district win at Comeaux.
“To be honest with you I didn’t realize he even had 38 until I checked the scorebook after the game,” Eaton said. “But he’s been averaging 20 points a game for us, so he’s the guy who carries the load for us when it comes to scoring. He always plays with energy. He sets the tone for us when it comes to our energy and how we want to play basketball.
“Traditionally, Abbeville has always been a fast-paced team. We always like to get out and run, so he fits right into the system that we have in place in order for us to be successful. Him, along with Chad Nolan as well. Those two guys right there, they’re really our motor.”
Glover said that he scored a lot of his points against Comeaux in transition.
“Our pace is fast and we’re defensive minded. so we’ve got to get serious (on defense) to get points,” Glover said, adding that is the style he likes to play. “We need to improve on our half court offense and we need to get more disciplined on the defensive side to beat a lot of teams.”
Glover and Nolan are guards and two of the team’s six seniors, along with Derrian Washington, Jaysen Shelvin, Tyler Cherry and Jaydeon Turner.
“In our system we don’t have a true point guard,” Eaton said. “We kind of keep it open to where pretty much anybody can handle the ball for us. Where we’re successful at is off of defense. And that’s where he scores most of his points. He scores most of his points in transition off of defensive stops. Our defense has been really good as a team. We’re able to get a lot of defensive stops and we push the ball.”
The Wildcats were off to a 10-5 start heading into Friday’s District 5-3A opener against Crowley. Abbeville has nearly identical offensive and defensive numbers, having scored 733 points and allowed 731 for an average of 48.8 points scored and 48.7 points allowed a game. AHS has allowed a season high of 70 points and has only given up 60 or more in four games while holding teams to under 50 on six occasions.
“I guess he’s just been lucky enough to be the guy who ends up open in our transition offense,” Eaton said.
Prior to being named head coach this year, Eaton was an assistant to head coach Berwick Hamilton, for whom Eaton played. He then worked with AHS head coach Colby Batiste, now head coach at Highland Baptist, and afterwards with Wildcats head coach Nolan Theriot, now head coach at North Vermilion.
“(Hamilton) is pretty much who I learned the game from,” Eaton said. “We’ve struggled a little bit the last few years. We’ve been struggling defensively and offensively. Our halfcourt offense is still a little trouble for us. We’re having a little trouble being successful on the offensive side, halfcourt wise. That’s why our transition offense and our defense is really very important for us to be able to be successful.”
Eaton said that the first thing he told the team before the Wildcats started playing summer league ball was that the team wouldn’t be successful without playing well defensively.
“If we can’t play defense, if we can’t stop anybody, if we don’t hang our hats on defense, if we can’t buy into it, we’re not going to be successful. And the group of seniors that I’ve got, they really took that to heart based off of previous years, and the facts. The guys have been working hard on the defensive end.”
Glover said Eaton has stressed discipline on and off the court.
“He always wanted us to stay disciplined and to play our game and not to be scared, not only on the court but outside the court, in the classroom,” Glover said. “He always taught us that we have to stay disciplined, that we’ve always got to be accountable, and that we always have to have communication not only on the court but off the court.”
Glover said the team knows defense is the key for the Wildcats’ success this year.
“We’ve got to get very disciplined on the defensive side because that’s how we’re going to beat a lot of good teams in the future.”
Four of the seniors also played football for a team that reached the semifinals in 2021 and the second round of the playoffs this year. It’s not only the seniors who are buying into the basketball team’s philosophy, though.
“It’s team success right here, true team success,” Eaton said. “They’ve been playing together for the last 10 years when it comes to youth sports and all that, so they’re all used to each other. They’re all used to playing with each other. It’s really helped us build our program back to where it used to be.”
Glover said a lot of players are contributing, not just the seniors.
“We’ve got some sophomores and freshmen and juniors that are stepping up a little bit to help,” he said. “Our goal is just to build a future and build more discipline for our team for people to have a good image of our team.”
Glover said a lot of fans mention St. Martinville when talking about the Wildcats’ district schedule.
“We’ve got to play our game,” he said. “We can’t let anybody tell us what we can and cannot do.”

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Don Martin Landry announce his passing away on Friday, January 13, 2023 at Abbeville General Hospital with family members at his side. Don was 64 years old. At his personal request, No funeral or memorial service will be held.
A native of Kaplan, Don worked in the oil and gas industry for many years as an inspector.
Don is survived by his daughter, Brooke Landry Degueyter and her husband Josh; his grandchildren, Hayden and Hendrix; his sisters, Patsy Arena, Marlene Greene, and Marisa Harrington; and his brothers, Van Landry and Chris Landry; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews who were very dear to Don.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Florence Landry.
Don will always be remembered for his huge heart, his contagious smile, and his vibrant sense of humor.
View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com
Martin & Castille - SOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811.

Vermilion Catholic’s basketball coach Kim “Gidge” Guidry, continues to climb the ladder of success. On Tuesday, the Lady Eagles beat Covenant Chrisitan 36-27 on the road. That victory gave Guidry her 900th win at VC.
In 2017 she won her 800th game, and in 2015 she won her 751st game.
Guidry, 64, said it is not about her because she did not play one game.
“It is all about the girls who come through the program,” she said. “I have been fortunate to have coachable girls.”
Guidry will coach for at least three more years, which could give her another 35 to 50 wins.
Although there is no official all-time win-loss list for girls’ high school coaches in Louisiana, 900 wins puts Guidry high on the list.
At least three high school girls’ coaches were voted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame with 900-plus wins.
Carris Baker has coached for 39 years, won eight state titles, and won 972 games in north Louisiana.
Also, Steve McDowell, who coaches at Southwood High and won 12 state titles, has 981 wins.
Geraldine “Jelly” Pigott coached at Jena High from 1952 to 1970 has just over 900 wins, and is in the Lousiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Guidry became the head coach at VC for the 1985-1986 season. She replaced Earl Heitz, who retired.
Upperclassmen players on her first high team were Michelle LaPorte, Laura Carlos, Racheal Broussard, Erika Minnick, Kathy Sellers and Lynn Veazey.
Angela Dubois Gallet graduated from VC in 1990. She was the MVP of the district and helped the Lady Eagles to a 32-7 record. Today, for the last 15 years, Gallet has been assisting Guidry on the bench as an assistant coach.
In 2017, Gallet and other players contemplated as to what has made Guidry so successful over the last 37 years.
Gallet said, “Her dedication for the last 30 years to the Vermilion Catholic Lady Eagles’ program is indescribable. Her years of service prove her love for the game and Catholic education.
“She has always said that ‘she’ is the one who is blessed to see so many young ladies come through the doors of VC and become fine young women. But to tell you the truth, we, her players and former players, were taught that selfless dedication to a particular cause could reap many rewards. She has been a staple of consistency at Vermilion Catholic and has taught me that we receive in giving.
“Her love for the game has gotten her to where she is now: and her love for VC will carry her for many years to come.”
Danielle LaPorte David was a freshman when Guidry began coaching at VC.
David said in 2017, “I know Gidge would say that her continued success is a direct reflection of the girls that she coaches. This is true to an extent. However, her passion for basketball and her compassion for the girls she coaches cannot be discounted.”