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February 16, 1942 ~ October 28, 2018

KAPLAN — Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church honoring the life of Mary Ann Abshire, 76, who died Sunday, October 28, 2018 at Residence. She will be laid to rest at LeMaire Cemetery with Reverend Keith Landry officiating the services.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Edward Abshire, Jr.; two sons, Gerald Abshire and his wife, Angela of Abbeville and Ricky Abshire of Erath; two daughters, Karen and her husband, Louis Mathews of Cow Island and Rita and her husband, Randy Mathews of Forked Island; ten grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and 11 brothers and sisters.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Gordy LaSalle and the former Eunice Faulk; her daughter, Christine Marie Abshire; her two brothers, Joseph "Boy" LaSalle and Lurcy LaSalle; her two sisters, Dorothy Schexnider and Annie Joyce Dupont; and one grandson, Lance Mathews.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Ave., on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 from 9:00 AM until the procession departs to the church, with a rosary being prayed at 11:00 AM.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 [Service Information 225-5276]. Condolences may be sent to the Abshire family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

The value of studying history is so that future generations don’t make the same mistakes as our forefathers. Having said that, it was stunning to watch the political tug-of-war that took place in Baton Rouge this past Legislative Session trying to add work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries that now represent one-third of the state. Bills in both the House and the Senate stalled in Committee as the Legislative session ended, as Democrats fought it tooth and nail. So what does history tell us about this issue?
In 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt implemented work programs tied to government assistance after The Great Depression since, as he stated, “the lessons of history show conclusively that continued dependency upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber.” Roosevelt knew that citizens must work for their government assistance.
Yet in 1965 President Lyndon Johnson chose to ignore Roosevelt’s “lessons of history” work warnings, as well as the warnings from Daniel Patrick Moynihan that the presidents “Great Society” welfare programs could lead to the disintegration of the Black Family unit, resulting in many social problems. Instead Johnson proceeded forward with his “War on Poverty” with one of his stated goals being to “make America’s poor more self-sufficient”. Here we are more than 50 years later and we see that the war has been an abject failure as there is now substantial increases in dependency, idleness, and out-of-wedlock child births which has resulted in a spiritual and moral disintegration that is indeed destroying America.
In spite of the blatant failure of the war on poverty, President Obama doubled down and put the nation’s welfare/no work programs on steroids – even though it almost doubled the national debt and reduced the Labor Participation Rate to record lows. The result has been social chaos in our disadvantaged neighborhoods. Saul Alinsky couldn’t have done it any better.
As we watch America’s national fiber being fundamentally destroyed before our very eyes, one can’t help but ask what history has to say about our political leaders who are intentionally disregarding the “lessons of history”. We find that in 1787 Benjamin Franklin warned us that “when you make a place of honor also a place of money and power, man will move heaven and earth to obtain them.” In 2018 we saw the Governor and Senate Democrats move “heaven and earth” to legislatively protect Medicaid Fraud (and potential votes).

Steve Gardes is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) with over 40 years of public accounting experience.

Kristin Abah Moore has a unique story of how she ended up at LeBlanc Elementary as the assistant principal for the last five years. She was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She explains how she found her way to Abbeville.
She is a 2004 graduate of Grambling State University in Elementary Education; 2010 Master’s Degree from ULL in Educational Leadership More recently in 2017, she completed coursework in the National Institute for School Leaders (NISL)

What is your family history?

My mother is Gilda Abah Mouton, and my father was the late Anthony Osita Abah. I am proud of my unique heritage because my father was from Abuja, Nigeria, my mother is from Kaplan, and I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon! 
A brief history of your accomplishments leading up to your Assistant Principal position.

 Eaton Park Elementary 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year

You are from Portland, Oregon. What high school did you graduate? How large was it?
I graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2000. When I there we had the population of a 3A school but competed in sports on the 4A level.

What sports did you play in high school? What was your best sport?
During my high school years, I played basketball. Because of my height, the coaches wanted me to
compete in track and field, but I’m not an outdoor person, so that was out.

What was it about Grambling that made you want to leave Portland?
The legendary coach Eddie Robinson and the World Famed Grambling marching band.

When did you make that decision to leave home to come to Louisiana?
During my senior year of high school, I suffered a torn ACL, and many of the basketball scholarships that I had been offered were pulled. My dream of playing college basketball was over, and I was devastated so I stepped out on faith and decided to apply for admission into Grambling State University. When I arrived on the campus, I didn’t know not one person.

You remember when you told your parents?
When I told my parents I wanted to attend college in Louisiana, they were both excited and supported me 100%.

When you arrived at Grambling, how hard was it dealing with Louisiana heat?
The heat wasn’t hard to deal with because I just stayed inside as much as possible, it was the thunderstorms. Growing up in Oregon, I had never experienced thunder and lightning that would shake the ground. I remember calling home and crying to my mother because I was terrified.

Whom are you married too and how did ya’ll meet?

I am 36 years old. I am married to Larry Moore Jr. We met at a wedding. His first cousin married my first cousin. It wasn’t loved at first sight, but love at second sight!  We were briefly introduced earlier during the day of the wedding rehearsal at my cousin’s house when Larry stopped by to pick up his tuxedo. However, it wasn’t until the actual wedding rehearsal when we were paired up to walk together did the sparks fly! Following the rehearsal, the entire wedding party went to the reception hall for dinner, and it was there that he asked me to fix him a bowl of gumbo. He likes to brag and say that he knew I was his future wife when I didn’t tell him no. 
We live in Abbeville with our two children; Braylon 11, and Koryn 6. I also have a step-son named Kobe who is 20. 

What made you move to Abbeville?
My husband is the reason why I moved to Abbeville. I was living and working in Monroe when we first met. He is from Abbeville, and my mother’s side of my family is from Kaplan, so it made the most sense for me to relocate here to be surrounded by both of our families.

What do you value most in your life as well as in your job?
Faith and family are the two things that I value most in my life. My past experiences with the deaths of my two older brothers and the death of my father have made me understand how important it is to keep my faith in God and to cherish my family members every day. 
Professionally, I value the relationships that I have developed throughout my career. I have had the opportunity to work in two different districts in the state and have forged lifetime relationships with students, parents, teachers, and administrators. 

What are you most proud of regarding all that you have accomplished?

I am most proud of becoming the assistant principal at LeBlanc Elementary School. Following the deaths of my father in December of 2013 and my brother in February 2014, I experienced a tough time in my life where I questioned many things. During that time, I had to keep pushing through, so I began to focus more on my career goal of becoming a school administrator. I never thought that I would be selected to work at LeBlanc, in fact, I didn’t know much about the school. However, being named the assistant principal at the most diverse elementary school in the parish was such an honor, and it still is. Our student population represents a microcosm of our society. Our entire faculty/staff and administrative team take pride in teaching our students to respect each other’s differences learn to value those differences daily. 

What position did you hold before becoming an assistant principal, if applicable?
 I began teaching fourth-grade math in August 2004 at Carver Elementary School in Monroe, LA. My career in Vermilion Parish started in 2007 at Herod Elementary School, where I taught fourth-grade science and social studies for one year before going to Eaton Park where I taught one year of fifth grade ELA and six years of fourth-grade math. During my time at Eaton Park, I also served as administrator for the district’s elementary and middle school LEAP Remediation Summer School Program. 

Was this profession something you have always wanted to be in?
Yes. I never dreamed of becoming anything other than an educator. I was first inspired to become a teacher in the third grade when I learned about Sharon Christa McAuliffe, one of the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She was scheduled to become the first teacher in space, her bravery and determination to become “the first” is something that I always admired. 

What would be your general message to any woman who wants to pursue their dream?
My message to any woman thinking about a dream they want to pursue or who may be currently working toward the pursuit of a goal is to keep pushing and never give up. Many times we as women are hardest on each other so I would encourage women to uplift each other and support other women who are also working towards achieving their dreams. My brightest moments came when I was able to successfully share ideas and encourage women who welcomed my mentorship and leadership. I would tell other women to remain positive and always take the high road. It is not always easy to accomplish goals, but it’s worth it to push through adversity and challenges to recognize your full potential.

In your spare time, what activities do you and your family like to do?
My family and I are huge sports fans. We enjoy playing and watching every sport from football to golf. I am not as active as I was before becoming a mother but I love playing basketball and golf.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public the 16th opportunity in seven years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to Mula’s Pharmacy in Abbeville and CVS in Kaplan located at 2619 Charity St, Abbeville and 100 S. Cushing, Kaplan (The VPSO cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last fall Americans turned in 482 tons (964,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and almost 4,300 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 15 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in more than 9 million pounds—more than 4,982—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.