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The Vermilion Parish War Memorial, located in downtown Abbeville, commemorates the sacrifices of so many.
Recently, a joint effort among the Abbeville Garden Club, Keep Abbeville Beautiful (KAB) and the city of Abbeville led to improvements befitting the memorial’s existence.
Members of the Garden Club upgraded the flower bed as well as the 1841 Howitzer Cannon at the memorial. Garden Club member Ron Bell worked with the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville to have new wheels placed on the cannon. Many who attended the Memorial Day service on Monday morning took notice.
“We have received a positive response,” Garden Club President Susan Doré said.
The memorial includes a Gold Star marker, placed by the Garden Club on this day 10 years ago. That installation resulted from an initiative from the National Garden Club.
“That is a big part of why we have worked to keep up the bed,” Doré explained.
She said this work, spearheaded by Garden Club member Gwen Lanoux and Bell, began about a year ago. Part of that is incorporating a Red, White, and Blue color scheme with the flowers in recognition of the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the United States.
“They did a great job,” Doré said.
Charlene Beckett, who, in addition to being a member of KAB, serves as Abbeville Main Street manager, said she is thrilled by the outcome.
“The Vermilion Parish War Memorial flower beds, which we refer to as the Liberty Garden, have never looked better,” Beckett said. “This and all the other flower beds in the city, either cared for by the Garden Club or the city workers, help define our community as a caring place to live, work, or play.”
Beckett thanked the Garden Club members for their efforts.
:The Abbeville Garden Club enriches our community by beautifying our public spaces and encouraging civic pride,” Beckett said. “They do this with volunteer service and through education within their organization, and also sharing their talents with others.”

Gratitude shown to those who serve the public certainly doesn’t have to be limited to one day a year.
However, the Rotary Club of Abbeville does set aside one day each year to offer a special thanks to the people who work to keep the community safe and sound.
On May 6, the club held its annual Public Servants Appreciation Day lunch at the Rec building at A.A. Comeaux Park. Members of the Rotary Club prepared and served meals to employees from the City of Abbeville, the Abbeville Fire Department, the Abbeville Police Department and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“One of the things the Rotary Club does is service before self,” said the Rotary Club’s Brady Broussard Jr., who served as the event’s chair. “We’re here to award some very special people from our city and from our parish.”
Along with a good meal, the club awarded a member of each of the departments in attendance. This this year’s honorees include:
• Shane Stout, Abbeville Fire Department
• Randall Nugeir, Abbeville Police Department
• Cristian LeJeune, Abbeville City Hall
• John Joseph, Aiden Broussard and Lee Schexnaider, Abbeville Public Works
• Marcus Abshire, Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office (VPSO)
Abshire began his career with the VPSO as a corrections deputy in 1997. He grew to become involved in the office’s technology area, becoming the VPSO technology systems administrator in 2007. Not long after taking office in July of ‘24, Sheriff Eddie Langlinais named Abshire director of the newly created Technology Support Unit.
“What makes Marcus stand out is not just his skill,” Langlinais said, “but his mindset. Much of what we rely on every within the sheriff’s office exists because of his vision and his willingness to put in the work.”
Some of that work has saved taxpayers approximately $750,000.
“He has continually improved the tools we use to do our jobs more effectively every day,” Langlinais said. “Marcus, your work has made a difference to Vermilion Parish in ways that will last long after your career.”
LeJeune began her work with the city in ‘23, but not in a role she initially had in mind.
“She actually applied for a billing specialist position,” Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White. “She didn’t get that job.”
Impressed, White eventually brought LeJeune on with the city to work with digital media and communications.
“She eagerly took the job and grew her skillset,” White said. “She’s so much more than media for the city. She approaches things with an eager mindset and curiosity. She helps all of our departments. Her commitment to the community branches out in all levels of local government.”
The wastewater department is an aspect of the local government that may not be given too much thought on a daily basis, especially when everything is running smoothly. The club recognized John Joseph, Aiden Broussard and Lee Schexnaider, who help keep the wastewater plant from being on people’s minds. Rotarian Broussard, who also serves on the Abbeville City Council, said this trio makes a tremendous impact.
“These guys are manning a plant that could be put up against any plant its size in the state of Louisiana,” Broussard said.
Abbeville Chief of Police Mike Hardy said Nugier has the same impact for the police department. Nugier has been with the department since ‘19. In July of ‘24, Nugier moved into the detective division.
“Randall was very instrumental in solving a homicide we had a few weeks ago,” Hardy said. “He’s a hard worker and puts his nose to the grind.
“That’s why we give him this award.”
Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Ashley said Stout is more than deserving of his award. Stout joined the department in ‘16, around the some time as that year’s historic flooding.
“Service above self is what he is about,” Ashley said. “There is never a time when something needs to be done that he is not the one to step up. He is a leader and a peacemaker. If you need something, he’s your man.”
Broussard said he is glad these honorees and their colleagues answer the call every day. That is why the appreciation day is so important.
“We take great pleasure in reminding the public that we should never forget the importance and the value of the public servants who serve us each day and each night,” Broussard said.

Colby Berberich might be the only person to win the Southern Oaks Club Championship twice with a 14-year gap between his first and second titles.
On Sunday, 32-year-old Berberich held off Christopher Cain to win the club championship by just one stroke. Berberich finished with a two-day total of 146 (73-73), while Cain came in second with 147 (76-71).
Berberich first won the club championship at 18, just a year after graduating from Vermilion Catholic in 2011. Since then, he has only played in the tournament four times, including this year. Work commitments and raising a young family kept him from competing more often.
When asked if he thought he could win the club championship before the weekend, Berberich confidently said yes.
“That is the only way to win a tournament if you have the mindset that you are playing to win it,” said Berberich.
After the first day, Berberich led Ryan David, a former club champion, by two strokes. Christopher Cain was three shots behind Berberich. Reflecting on his performance, Berberich said he was happy, but not super happy with the first day’s score. “Coming into Sunday, I was nervous. I was more nervous than I wanted to be.”
He explained that part of his nerves came from not playing in a competitive tournament for about eight years. “Playing in this tournament means a lot to me.”
On Sunday, Berberich seemed to have the tournament in hand, leading by as many as 7 strokes. Going into No. 18, a par-five hole, he was ahead of Cain by five strokes. He just needed to avoid going out of bounds or hitting into the water to secure the title.
His tee shot went right and ended up in the tall grass, so he had to lay up on his second shot. From about 140 yards out, he hit his next shot a bit too easily, and the ball landed in the water before the green.
“I was not expecting that (to go in the water),” he said. “I was expecting it to be a good shot and fly over the water.”
On his fifth shot, he was still 60 yards from the green. His chip landed on the green but rolled off the side, leaving him with a downhill chip. He ended up two-putting for an eight, with his last putt being a tough eight-footer.
“I knew I had to make something happen after those shots,” he added.
Berberich was not completely sure he had won until Cain walked over and congratulated him. Cain made par on the final hole. After the golfers walked off the 18th green, a small crowd of club members and friends who had gathered near the green, applauded. Several members approached, hugged, and congratulated him.
“I’m happy to win, but I wish I had played better on the last hole. Everyone was watching.”

Side Notes:

• Last year’s repeat club champion John Tomassini did not play in this year’s club championship because he was on vacation.

• J.R. Hollier won the Fourth Flight with a two-day total of 173 (88-85. Hollier is only 14 years old.

Here are the top finishers in each flight os this weekend’s Southern Oaks Club Championship.

Championship flight

1. Colby Berberich (73-73) 146
2. Christopher Cain (76-71) 147
3. (tie) Dustin Bertrand (77-72) 149
Brennan Deslatte (80-69) - 149

First Flight
1. Reed Freeman (73-72) 145
2. Garrett Becker (77-76) 153
3. Hayden Patin (80-77) 157

Second Flight

1. Sawyer Stover (79-77) 156
2. Drake Broussard (81-76) 157
3. Eric Bourque (83-76) 159

Third Flight

1. Duane Dartez (86-90) 176
2. Dylan Wiggins (89-88) 177
3. (tie) Greg Harrington (84-94) 178
Brennan Gallet (83-95) 178

Fourth Flight
1. J.R. Hollier (88-85) 173
2. Nick Daigle (95-92) 187
3. Ross Dartez (100-90) 190

Ladies Flight
1. Heather Mayard (84-95) 179
2. Ranette Cuccio (111-103) 214
3. Jennifer Milligan (110-109) 219

Super Seniors
1. Duane Lege (77-80) 157

Seniors
1. Byron Mancuso (82-83) 165

Legends
1. Murphy Guilbeaux (80-82) - 162

July 16, 1947 – May 25, 2026

ABBEVILLE — Funeral Services for Mrs. Beverly Ann Butcher, 78, will be held at Mt. Triumph
Baptist Church of Abbeville on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 2:00PM with Reverand Willie Williams Jr. officiating and Reverand Thaddeus Andrus delivering the eulogy. Burial will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Frioux Funeral Home of Abbeville on Friday, June 5, 2026 from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Visitation will resume on Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 9 a.m. until time of services.
Beverly Ann Butcher, affectionately known as Nanny, Nanny Bob, Belven, and simply “Bev” to those who loved her most, passed away on May 25, 2026, at the age of 78.
She leaves behind a legacy not measured in possessions, but in the lives, she poured herself into — every one of them made richer for having known her.
Born July 16, 1947, Beverly was a woman of deep faith, fierce dedication, and an unwavering belief in the power of education. She graduated from James A. Herod High School in 1965, then went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from Southern University, followed by a Master of Education degree plus 30 additional hours from the University of Southwestern Louisiana — a testament to the same standard of excellence she would one day hold for her students.
Beverly dedicated more than 50 years of her life to teaching. She began her career at Kaplan Elementary before moving to Herod, eventually rising to serve as a supervisor in the Title I program at the Vermilion Parish School Board, a position she held until her retirement in the early 2000s. But retirement could not keep her from the children she loved it, she returned to the classroom as a special education teacher. Even in her younger years, she answered that call through Sunday school, sharing her faith and her heart with the next generation.
Beverly had no biological children, but she was a mother in every way that matters. She took in Nicholas Levy as her son and Amekia Hall as her daughter, and she loved them with everything she had. Nicholas remembers her staying up until midnight helping with homework, then rising again at 5 a.m. to finish what they couldn’t the night before — and sitting by his bedside through every night he spent in the hospital, never once leaving his side. That was Beverly. She didn’t love out of obligation. She loved out of choice, completely and without reservation.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Joseph Butcher; her son, Nicholas Levy; her daughter, Amekia Hall; her brother, Glen Plowden Sr. (Lucy) of Abbeville, Louisiana; and her grandchildren, Ayden Levy, August Levy, and Zaire Samuels Levy and a host of nieces and nephews. 
Beverly Butcher lived a life of purpose. She shaped generations of students, anchored her family, and reflected the grace of Christ in everything she did. She will be deeply missed — and never, ever replaced.
“I’ll never love another as much as I love her.”
She is preceded in death by her parents, Cleavland Plowden, Sr., and Nona Nolan Plowden.
Serving as pallbearers will be Nicholas Levy, Ayden Levy, BJ Levy Glen Plowden Jr., Keith Plowden, and Kevin Plowden. Serving as Honorary pallbearers will be Joseph Butcher, Glen Plowden Sr., August Levy, and Zaire Samuel-Levy.
Family and friends may sign the register book and/or send condolences at www.friouxfunerals.com Frioux Funeral Home of Abbeville 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangements.