RSS Feed

July 18, 1953 — March 2, 2025

A funeral service officiated by Deacon Bryan Istre for Keith Edward Meaux will be held at Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2025. A visitation will take place at Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan on Thursday from 9 a.m. until the time of service. A rosary will be prayed at 10:30 a.m.
Keith, 71, of Kaplan, Louisiana, passed away on March 2, 2025, while gardening at home. Keith was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Keith was a man of many passions. He loved to talk to anyone and everyone - from the grocery store cashier to a stranger on vacation - making friends wherever he went. His kind spirit and easygoing nature left a lasting impression on everyone he met.
Born and raised in Kaplan, Keith spent his entire life in the community he loved. He attended Kaplan High School before going on to study at USL and Xavier University in New Orleans, where he earned his degree in pharmacy. He dedicated many years to helping others through his work as a pharmacist, including 21 years at Meaux's Pharmacy working alongside his father and grandfather. After retirement, he continued to care for those around him, always offering a helping hand to family and friends.
He was an avid traveler, always planning his next adventure. Keith spent countless hours on his beloved Harley Davidson, journeying from coast to coast and taking in the beauty of the open road. He and his wife, Helen, had upcoming family trips planned to Japan, Las Vegas, and Florida. Whether near or far, Keith's love for exploring the world was matched only by his love for coming home to his garden and yard, where he took pride in every flower and plant he nurtured.
Keith's love of music filled his home, with the sounds of The Beatles, CCR, and The Beach Boys playing often. He found joy in cooking Cajun food for his family, always making sure everyone was fed and cared for. His dedication to his family was unwavering - he was always there to lend a hand, offer advice, or simply listen.
A lifelong fan of the New Orleans Saints, Keith never missed a game, cheering on his team with passion even when the fans wore paper bags on their heads. His motto in life was simple but profound: "Just do your best and have fun with it."
Pallbearers will be Kyle Edward Meaux, Thomas Keith Meaux, James Ashley Meaux, Stephen Douglas Meaux, Craig Meaux, and Reynold Meaux.
Honorary pallbearer will be Brody Thomas Meaux.
Keith is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Helen; his sons, Kyle and his significate other Celeste of Kaplan, Thomas and his wife Krystle of Kaplan, James and his wife Angelita of Dallas, TX, and Stephen of Baton Rouge; his grandchildren, Brody Thomas Meaux, Marigny Marie Meaux, and Madeline Grace Meaux; his brothers, Reynold Meaux of Lafayette, Craig Meaux of Lafayette, and Patrick Meaux of Lafayette; and his sisters, Janice Romero of Kaplan, Gerette Hebert of Fayetteville, AR, Sheila Hebert of Perry, and Tracy Chiasson of Abbeville.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mahlen and Goldie Meaux.
Keith's generous spirit, warm smile, and unwavering love will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His legacy of kindness and dedication to his family will live on in the hearts of those he leaves behind.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan (337) 643-7276.

HOMER, La. — With H5N1, also known as avian influenza or bird flu, on the rise a recent LSU AgCenter hire is bringing a set of skills to his research seldom seen in the field of poultry science — a mechanical engineering degree.
Will Strickland started at the AgCenter at the end of July and he has already made his mark at the Hill Farm Research Station in Homer. To say the Georgia native didn’t take the traditional path to his current career would be an understatement.
“I did my undergrad at the University of Georgia in mechanical engineering and then my master’s there in poultry science,” Strickland said. “I kind of blended engineering and poultry science together and I really kind of fell in love with the extension side of things.”
Strickland said he enjoys going to farms and participating in on-farm projects to help poultry producers improve their operations. He became interested in the field when he moved onto a dairy farm that also had two broiler breeder houses.
“I was two years away from finishing my engineering degree and was minoring in dairy science, thinking I might want to make robotic milkers,” he said. “But I figured out that, as a design engineer, I’d mostly be behind a desk.”
It was around this time Strickland met his mentors, UGA extension engineer Mike Czarick and extension poultry scientist Brian Fairchild, whose joint lab he worked in while pursuing a graduate degree in poultry science.
Upon graduation, he took an extension agent position with the AgCenter and shortly thereafter began working on a project that utilized both his undergraduate and graduate degrees — retrofitting ventilation in broiler houses.
“We retrofitted one of our houses with a different style of ventilation inlet that's supposed to reduce air leakage and improve air mixing in the house to hopefully save fuel and energy costs,” he said.
Strickland said improved ventilation could result in drier litter, which may improve bird welfare by decreasing issues such as footpad dermatitis while also potentially saving money for the producers. With the current breakouts of avian flu, his work at the research station must be meticulous in its safety measures.
“The birds we have on the research station are contained in environmentally controlled houses, so if there is any kind of breakout, it is likely to spread quickly,” he said. “While we want to take the best care of all our birds, the fear is that we will have extremely high mortality in a very short period.”
According to Strickland, while the 2015 bird flu outbreak made the stakes high to the industry and growers, many of the biosecurity practices are not necessarily due to avian influenza. Researchers battle other infectious diseases such as avian metapneumovirus and infectious laryngotracheitis, where biosecurity practices such as dedicated footwear are critical to protecting their flocks.
“There's dry, powdered bleach foot bath that you step in to disinfect your boots, then your next step is immediately into the chicken house to try to not bring in any foreign material, he said. “For example, our service tech disinfects the tires of his truck before he pulls on to the farm. There’s a lot at stake.”
The 25-year-old Strickland said he hopes to continue with ventilation, energy conservation and housing management work. He is grateful for the reciprocal gratitude he’s received from Louisiana producers and industry members he’s worked with in his extension capacity.
“They’ve all been very supportive, especially since I'm young and this is my first full-time position,” he said.