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January 9, 1932 ~ October 30, 2018

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Ruvian Jules Stoutes, 86, who died Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at his residence. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Deacon Stephen Starr officiating the services.
Ruvian is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Chauvin Stoutes; three sons, Gregory Wayne Stoutes and his wife Barbara, Mark Anthony Stoutes and his wife Summer, and Charles Brady Stoutes and his wife Kelly; two daughters, Mary Elizabeth Starr and her husband Stephen, and Julie Ann Wolfe and her husband Richard; grandchildren, Jessica Stoutes, Rachel Stoutes, John Talley, Jamie Jude Talley, Geraud Starr, Brian Starr, Katie Mallett, Jake Stoutes, Miranda Stoutes, Rocco Stoutes, Tristan Stoutes, Grace Stoutes, Reece Stoutes, Amber Wolfe, Ryan Wolfe and Alex Leach; great grandchildren, Ali Stoutes, Sara Starr, Gabby Starr, Brooke Starr, Lucien Starr, Ronin Mallett, Scarlett Mallett, Paula Starr, Hunter Bissette and Jackson Stoutes; and two brothers, Roland Stoute and Tyrone Stoutes.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Aubrey Stoutes and the former Destine Landry; grandchildren, Kaylen Roy and Chris Starr; and sisters, Florence Thibodeaux and Della Fagan.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Friday, November 2, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 8:00 AM until time of services.
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.

GUEYDAN - “It was a very overwhelming feeling” says, Lindsey Lounsberry, sister of Gueydan High School senior Rob Lounsberry, known as ‘Lil Rob.’
“When Coach Moy contacted us to let us know that the GHS football team and staff wanted to make Rob a part of the team for senior night, we were completely shocked. We kept it a secret for weeks, and when the time came for the pep rally, and he laid the jersey over Rob’s shirt, we could no longer hold back the tears. Seeing the team with arms locked, storming the field behind Rob was magical. They didn’t shove him to the side or behind them, no instead they let him lead.”
Thursday night was a dream come true for Rob Lounsberry, not only was it his senior night, but he led the Gueydan Bears onto the football field.
Stricken from birth with Cerebral Palsy, Rob enjoyed sports from the sidelines cheering for the Gueydan Bears during every sport they played.
Last Thursday it was announced during the afternoon GHS Pep Rally that Rob would finally become a GHS Bear. The GHS coach, football team and coaching staff issued Rob a number 2 football jersey.
During the past years, Rob’s cheering has not gone unnoticed. According to GHS senior, Matthew Broussard, “without Rob, we wouldn’t have a team with so much inspiration and drive to do better. We truly love ‘Lil Rob,’ and we are honored to have him on our sidelines every game.”
Rob’s sister commented, “No one can imagine what this means to my brother but also my family. For us this is not something as simple as him being included for a short while, this is him being included for a lifetime, and this is humility, love, and compassion. Rob might not ever play a down of football, but to him, he is a Gueydan bear for life thanks to these kids and coaches. You can’t put a price on that. There is a lot for people to learn from these kids.”
A dream come true for a Gueydan High Football player, Rob Lounsberry.

This week is the final week of the high school regular season, and some teams are on the bubble of making the high school playoffs.
North Vermilion, Delcambre, Erath, and Abbeville have a chance to make the playoffs with a victory. If they lose, there is a good chance their season could be over.
Tonight’s football game between Abbeville (3-6) and Erath (3-6) is the biggest game of the year for both teams.
In the latest Class 3A unofficial power point rankings, Erath is the No. 31 seed, while Abbeville is the No. 39 seed.
North Vermilion is No. 30.
The top 32 seeds make the playoffs.
If the Bobcats beat Abbeville, they should be locked to finish no worse than at No. 31, No. 30, No. 29 or No. 28.
A lost to Abbeville could send them tumbling out of the Top 32 and moving on to basketball.
Abbeville, with a win, could need a miracle to climb seven notches to No. 32. “Anything can happen at this point,” said AHS head coach Kevin Kern.
North Vermilion is still not a lock to make the playoffs despite having five wins.
The Patriots, with a win, would finish 6-4 and climb as high as No. 28 or No. 27.
The Patriots entertain Berwick on Friday, who has a higher power point ranking at No.27. The Berwick Panthers (4-6) also have a lot riding on Friday’s game. A Berwick win would give the Panthers a 5-5 record, and they could climb two or three spots. A loss could drop them to No. 30 or No. 31.
“Our kids understand that the playoffs rest in their hands,” said NV head coach Brett Blakey. “But we can not focus on that. We have to focus on doing what has allowed our players to improve in the last two weeks.”
The No. 1 seed in Class 3A is Iota (9-0), while Eunice (8-1) is No. 2 and Sterlington is No. 3 (7-3).
The Kaplan Pirates (6-3) are the No. 4 seed.
There is a crazy chance that Kaplan could entertain Erath, Berwick or North Vermilion in the first round, depending on how those three teams finish in the rankings.
The Delcambre Panthers (3-6) are on the bubble in Class 2A.
The Panthers are the No. 33 seed and travel to play Loureauville (0-9), who is the No. 39 seed. The Panthers need to win and hope the No. 32 seed Ville Platte (3-6) or the No. 31 Port Allen (2-7) lose on Friday.
In Class 1A, the Gueydan Bears (5-3) are the No. 14 seed and are playing for home-field advantage in the first round.
The top 16 play at home.
If the playoffs were held today, the Bears would entertain No. 19 Slaughter Community Charter (4-5) in the first round.
The Bears play Highland Baptiste (0-9) on Friday.
Oak Grove (9-0) is No. 1 and Haynesville (9-0) is the No. 2 team in Class 1A.

The unofficial Class 3A power point rankings by the LHSAA. Here are some rankings of local teams.
1. Iota (9-0)
2. Eunice (8-1)
3. Sterlington (7-2)
4. Kaplan (6-3)
5. St. James (6-3)
6. Lake Charles Prep ( 8-1)
10. Church Point (6-3)
14. Crowley (6-3)
15. Marksville (6-3)
27. Berwick (4-5)
28. Cohen Prep (5-4)
29. Jennings (5-4)
30. NVHS (5-4)
31. Erath (3-6)
32. Madison Prep (3-6)
33. Richwood (2-7)
39. Abbeville (3-6)

LAFAYETTE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 pm on Friday, November 2, 2018, at St Genevieve Catholic Church in Lafayette for Francis V. “Pappy” Landry, 94, who passed away on October 30, 2018, at Lafayette General Medical Center.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at the funeral home from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Thursday, November 1st and continue on Friday, November 2nd at 9:00 am until time of service at 2:00 pm. A rosary will be recited at 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 1st. Father Rex Broussard will officiate at the Funeral Mass. Gift bearers will be Francis’ daughters, Karyn Wagner and Laurie Singletary. Interment will follow the funeral mass at Calvary Cemetery in Lafayette.
Francis was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was born in Milton, Louisiana where the love for his Cajun family heritage began. Francis’ life journey took him to various places - Houston, Algiers, Ennis, and back to Houston, but his heart always drew him back to his Cajun roots. Most of his life was lived in Lafayette, where he and his wife Billie raised 7 children.
As a child, Francis helped his father tend a pontoon bridge on the Vermilion River between Milton and Abbeville. It was this small income from tending the bridge that saved the family’s land in Vermilion Parish in the midst of The Depression. It was in his childhood years in Vermilion Parish where many of his cherished lifelong friendships were established and blood relationships strengthened through shared hardship. Francis served in the Navy in WW II as a torpedoman second-class and was Honorably Discharged in 1945. After his discharge, he attended SLI where was a member of the TKP fraternity and the boxing team, and participated in other organizations.
In 1946, Francis met the love of his life, Billie DeJean. He was a patient at St Anne’s Infirmary in Lafayette, and she worked as a nurse’s aide who provided care for him. In 1948, Francis went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad, a career that would last 35 years. Francis started as a Fireman when steam locomotives were still in operation. He was named Union Local Chairman, a position where he represented fellow employees. As his career progressed, he transitioned to diesel engineer, and was eventually promoted to Road Foreman of Engines. It was during this time that he was given the nickname “Pappy.” With the promotion, came job relocation, first to Ennis, Texas, then to Houston, then finally back to his homeland - Cajun Country - Lafayette. His expertise was recognized nationally - he became a Rules-and-Training Officer, with jurisdiction from New Orleans to San Francisco. He retired from the Southern Pacific at 59 years of age.
Not simply one to enjoy retirement, he decided to enter the realm of politics, where he with his wife Billie at his side, walked the entire district, attending Mass every day during the campaign, which led to a victory by the slightest of margins -24 votes. He was immensely popular for his no-nonsense fiscal responsibility. Among his accomplishments were grand-scale improvements to Brown Park, numerous road and drainage projects, and responsibility for securing initial funding for the I-10/Louisiana Avenue interchange. Throughout his three terms he was able to bring the Northside into being the center of resurgence, benefiting Lafayette as a whole. As City Councilman, he also served as liaison to Canada, France, England, and Belgium, and traveled there several times. His fluency in French served him well in diplomatic relations with those countries. He prided himself in being the liaison to the Parks and Recreation Department where he was involved in Special Olympics.
In 2000, after his retirement, Pappy returned to the place he was born, Vermilion Parish, where he and his life-long sweetheart Billie, built a cottage along the Vermilion River, aptly named “Chalet Pont Flotant,” which means House by the Floating Bridge. He became more involved in the Knights of Columbus and American Legion Post 69, where he served as Chaplain from 2000 until 2018. He was also a member of the prestigious 40 & 8 Veterans organization. He and Billie also remained active in their senior years, capturing the City Club Dancing Championship in 1998. Pappy and Billie served as the King and Queen of Golden Age in 2000. He also belonged to the Lafayette Senior Men’s Golf Association. Throughout his years he forged many friendships and was called on often for his wisdom and advice. Pappy’s passion for the Cajun-French Heritage, was reflected in his constant research and involvement with organizations like CODAFIL. Pappy and Billie redesigned the Landry Family Crest, merging several prior versions and documenting its meaning in conjunction with the Celebration of the Acadian Expulsion.
Pappy and Billie raised 7 children, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Their strong faith, coupled with constant prayer and the Marion Devotion served as their sense of comfort which kept them grounded in God’s will, and provided a fitting example for their children and friends. Pappy was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the St Genevieve Usher Society; while his wife Billie served in the Catholic Daughters for 40 years. Pappy and Billie’s main parental objective was to ensure all of their children were provided a Catholic education, made possible by selfless sacrifices on their part.
Pappy was preceded in death by his parents, Romuald and Estelle Bordeaux Landry; his sister, Nona Landry Bonin; his daughter, Billie Frances “Sue” Landry, and his son, Bryan Layne Landry.
Pappy is survived by his wife Billie DeJean Landry of 70 years; his son Terry and his wife Penny from Denham Springs, La; his daughter Karyn and her husband Larry Wagner from San Antonio; his daughter Laurie and her husband Larry Singletary from Sunset; his son Dean Landry and his wife Dena from Lafayette; and his son Kent Landry and his wife Michelle from Youngsville.
Pallbearers will be Terry Landry, Dean Landry, Kent Landry, Drew Landry, Dean Landry Jr., and Aaron Wagner. Honorary Pallbearers will be Dustin Landry, Ethan Wagner, Jacob Wagner, Chase Landry and Larry Landry.
View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com
Martin & Castille-DOWNTOWN-330 St. Landry St., Lafayette, LA 70506, 337-234-2311.