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Whether you visited or called Maurice City Hall, chances are the first face you saw or voice you heard was Judy Broussard’s.
She served as a friendly welcome. It is that friendliness that resonated with everyone who knew Broussard.
Family and friends are now mourning her loss, as Broussard, 69, passed away Sunday due to complications from COVID-19.
Her daughter, Vermilion Parish Registrar of Voters Tina Marie Broussard, said her mother impacted so many people.
“She was a staple of this parish both politically and personally,” Tina Marie Broussard said. “The world lost the best person.”
Judy Broussard, a resident of Maurice and graduate of Abbeville High School, worked for State Rep. Sammy Theriot from 1993 to ‘96 and then for State Rep. Mickey Frith from ‘96 to 2008.
It was in ‘08 that she became a clerk at Maurice City Hall.
Maurice Mayor Wayne Theriot said he knew Broussard well before he became mayor in 2010.
“She was a tremendous person to me,” Mayor Theriot said. “I knew her personally for many years. She was extremely friendly. When you walked into the city hall, and you would see her, it was almost like seeing your mama.
“Mrs. Judy was a valued member of our family. Your prayers are asked for her family during these trying times.”
Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville is handling the funeral arrangements, which will be held on Thursday from 9 a.m. until time of service.
Services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville.

ATLANTIC OCEAN - A 2018 Abbeville High School graduate and native of Abbeville, Louisiana, is serving aboard USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), a guided-missile destroyer, currently conducting operations in the Atlantic Ocean.
Seaman Apprentice Clayton E. Rachalla is part of the aviation team responsible for assisting helicopters in taking off and landing on the ship.
“I help with on loading and offloading supplies,” Rachalla said. “Without me, the helicopters can’t land or take off from the flight deck.”
Thomas Hudner is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported in Mayport, Florida, named in honor of U.S. naval aviator Thomas Hudner, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare.
“What I enjoy most is meeting new people and seeing how they live, and learning about their backgrounds,” Rachalla said.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Rachalla’s proudest accomplishment is not losing motivation, and being in high spirit in everything that he does.
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Rachalla, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Rachalla is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Army as a ground scout in the 1980s and my stepdad, Woodrow Bossley, served as a medic in the Navy,” Rachalla said.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Rachalla, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“Joining the military is a great choice, you just have to continue to keep your head up,” Rachalla added.

Shelby Darby, a history and art elective teacher at Harvest Time Christian Academy for three years was nominated last year for the first Kiwanis educator award. In her spare time, she does custom art work and murals or calligraphy for weddings or event invitations, so it was no surprise that she wanted to spread love, happiness and positivity for young girls at HTCA.
“My goals are to always go above and beyond for the students HTCA so that they always know that I’m here for them and love them with all of my heart,” Darby said. With that in mind, and knowing that the kids are our future, her main goal is to nurture them spiritually to become the best humans they can be.
HTCA has a special place in Darby’s heart. Her love for the school is evident in her actions as is her love for the students. Tiring days could bring down the typical teacher, but for Darby, her tiring days are when her ideas blossom because in those times, she says she finds herself wanting to do more than she can offer them.
“The girls, they hold a special place in my heart and they deserve a beautiful bathroom. The bathroom, it was originally all brown and boring and I wanted to change that,” she said. That’s when she decided to let her hands and mind lead the way. “The bathroom is now inviting and colorfulf or them and that makes me so happy.”
The art was free handed in chalk and painted in her designs from there. Having done art for many years, Darby has learned to let her heart lead the way. A lot of her training came from a place no one could have guessed. “Clayfish Bisque was where I worked during college, working there allowed me to practice my art everyday on pottery until I could move to bigger and better things like murals,” she said.
This upcoming school year will begin in a few short weeks and during this social distancing, students can feel alone, but once they walk into the restroom, things can change for them in an instant just by reading. They can take that visual of the bathroom stall with them through out the day.
“Shelby also painted murals within the lunchroom for the rest of the students to enjoy,” Assistant Principal Janie LeBlanc said, “She is an incredible asset to us at Harvest Time Christian Academy.” LeBlanc added that not only does Darby serve their students as the history and art teacher, but she goes above and beyond to make their campus beautiful with her artwork and dedication to the school.
Looking for something postive in each day suddenly became easier, thanks to Darby, a postive influencer in the form of a teacher.

As you read this column, think about if you are completely happy with your life and everything you are doing. If so, congratulations, as in today’s times you are a very rare person.
If, however, you still have some goals you would like to reach and have a strong desire to improve yourself in a variety of ways, then read on because I have some ideas that will be of value to you. And please keep in mind what the late Will Rogers had to say about learning. He said, “It is just as important to be reminded as it is to be educated.” None of us is smart enough to remember everything we know, and sometimes a little reminder of the right things at the right time can make a big difference in our lives.
Back in 1970 I was privileged to go into business with the late Bob Gannaway, my former Dale Carnegie instructor, to sell and distribute the Earl Nightingale Attitude Motivation messages that were recorded on cassette. In case you may not know, Earl Nightingale was known as the Dean of Personal Motivation and his daily radio show “Our Changing World” was carried by more than 1,000 radio stations, making it the most successful commercially sponsored radio programs in the history of American broadcasting. He was also one of the few survivors of the battleship Arizona when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
While you may have heard it before, the reason I share this background information is because one of his recordings titled “The Strangest Secret” was the only inspirational recording in history to ever sell a million copies. The strangest secret is simply that we become what we think about, something most of knows but spend very little time thinking about. The Bible says it another way, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” -- Proverbs 23:7. Well, believe it or not, this is why most people do not have the things they would like to have or be the kind of person they would like to be.
Yes, it really comes down to our thinking, and the bottom line is that most of us do not have an “abundance” mindset. Rather, we have a “scarcity” mindset, which is to say we place limitations on our thinking. The other day I heard the best example I have ever heard that clearly demonstrates the true abundance that is there for each of us to claim and to use for our own advantage. If you have ever gone to the ocean and sat on the beach, did you notice how the waves came in one right after the other? And as long as you sat there, even for hours they just kept coming one after the other. Yes, there is an abundance of waves and water that is right before us as far as the eye can see. There is opportunity all around us in the same way.
We also see other examples of nature that confirm this principle. If we plant one bushel of potato seed in the ground, we can get back 60 bushels of potatoes in return. A single tomato seed can multiply itself a million times in a year. Ten forests can come out of one acorn. Plant a pound of onion seed and we may reap 10 tons of onions. One twig from an apple tree planted in the ground may become a great tree, producing foliage and blossoms and fragrance and fruit not just one year, but for many years, multiplied many, many times. And there are countless other examples. In our mind we must think abundance and not be weighed down with negative people, negative news and negative events that take place all around us every single day.
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(Editor’s Note: JIM DAVIDSON is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated to over 375 newspapers in 35 states making it one of the most successful in the history of American journalism.)