Councilman Francis Plaisance stands by the sign for Lafitte Drive-In Park.
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February 28, 1931 ~ August 28, 2018
KAPLAN — Wake services will be conducted for Florine Joiner Gamble of Kaplan on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM at Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan. She will await the resurrection in the Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
On Tuesday morning at 2:00 AM, the death angel visited Eastridge Nursing Home and bore the soul of our loved one, Sis. Florine Joiner Gamble. Sis. Florine was born on February 28, 1931 in Kaplan, Louisiana to Mr. Arthur Joiner and Mrs. Eva Mouton Joiner. She was reared in Kaplan and later moved to Los Angeles and lived there for more than 30 years. She met and married her husband, Curtis Gamble. They owned and operated Curtis Gamble Realty and several Board and Care Homes in Los Angeles for many years. After retirement they decided to move to Las Vegas where they remained until Mr. Gamble’s death. Mrs. Florine then decided to move back home in Kaplan to be with her family. She and her sister, Mrs. Belle would often be seen riding and visiting friends together. She has been a resident with her sister in Eastridge Nursing Home for several years.
She leaves to cherish her memories, one daughter, Gwendolyn H. Rice (Ernest Sr.) of Abbeville; three step-daughters, Lois G. Grundy of Lancaster, TX, Thelma McCoy of Dallas, TX, and Yvonne Haynes of Dallas, TX; three grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; one brother-in-law, Minor Wright of Abbeville; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Eva Mouton Joiner; her husband, Curtis Gamble; three sisters, Annie Mae J. Grogan, Doris J. Wright, and Mary Belle J. Duhon; one brother, Arthur Joiner, Jr.; two brothers-in-law, Murray Grogan, Sr. and Dennis Duhon; five sisters-in-law, Thelma Joiner, Robbie Lee Hill, Pearl Billips, Faye Stewart, and Lurline Jordan; one step-son, Curtis Gamble, Jr.; two step-granddaughters, Penny LeGendee and Francis Neal; and two nephews, Larry Grogan and Wayne Grogan.
KAPLAN — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church honoring the life of May Rose Abshire, 85, who died Monday, September 10, 2018 at her residence. She will be laid to rest at Kaplan Cemetery with Reverend Nicholas DuPre’ officiating the services.
She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, John O. Abshire of Cow Island; four sons, Carl D. Abshire and his wife, Carlos of Forked Island, Patrick Abshire of Cow Island, Roderick Abshire of Kaplan, and Arnold Abshire of Cow Island; two daughters, Cynthia A. Trahan of Cow Island and Lisa A. and her husband, Raywood (T-Neg) Stelly of Forked Island; three sisters, Margie Fontenot of Lafayette, Joyce Istre of Kaplan, and Jane Landry of Abbeville; one brother, Dallas Fontenot of Kaplan; 14 grandchildren; and 25 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clemence Fontenot and the former Agnes Hebert; three brothers, Clemence Fontenot, Jr., Mervis Fontenot, and Robert Fontenot; three grandchildren, Lerin Abshire, April Abshire, and Jennifer Abshire; and three great grandchildren, Rose Rudd, Ariela Rudd, and baby Trahan.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Ave., on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Wednesday, September 12, 2018 from 8:00 AM until the procession departs for the church.
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 Vermilion Parish Police Jury is ready to release its new debris pickup schedule for the parish.
For the last few months, the police jury grab trucks have been experimenting with a new debris pickup schedule. Now, the police jury is ready to release the schedule to the public, as well as, educate the public on what type of debris can be put alongside the road.
“By parish residents knowing the police jury’s schedule, it will let them know when they can put out their debris,” explained police juror Errol Domingues. “If you have debris and the police jury will not be in your zone until the end of the month, then you wait and put it along the road at the end of the month. There is no guessing as to when your debris will be picked up.”
Since the beginning of time, each district had its grab trucks that would rotate throughout the month. No longer. Now, the police jury will send all of its grab trucks to one of three newly created zones and blanket the zone in debris pickup.
The police jury is expected to mail an 8x10 paper to every resident in the parish explaining the new zone pick up schedule.
At the beginning of each month, the police jury’s grab trucks will be in Zone 1 for 10 days. Zone 1 is comprised of Districts 1, 2, 10,12 and 14.
District 1 and 2 are in the North Vermilion area, while Districts 10 and 12 are in Kaplan. District 14 is Gueydan and the surrounding Gueydan area.
Zone 2 consist of Districts 5, 9A (west of the Vermilion River), 11 and 13. The police jury will meet in Zone 2 from 11th to the 20th of each month. This zone is most of Abbeville and north of Abbeville.
The third zone is Zone 3, which will be from 21st until the end of the month.
Zone 3 will consist of the south part of Abbeville, in police juror’s Ron Darby’s district, then north and south of Abbeville and Erath. It will also include of all of Erath, Delcambre and south of both towns.
South of Abbeville, the Vermilion River will determine which zone you are in.
If you live on the west side of the Vermilion River south of Abbeville, then the debris pickup will be in Zone 2. If you live on the east side of the Vermilion River (Boston, Henry area), then you are in Zone 3.
Police Juror Wayne Touchet explained that the districts in each zone are not final.
“We are still ironing out the pickup schedule,” said Touchet.
What can be put along the road?
The Police Jury is trying to educate the public on what type of debris should and should not be placed alongside the road.
The police jury is expected to mail out an 8x10 paper to every resident in the parish educating them on the items to put debris along the road.
What type of roadside debris should be placed alongside the road?
Roadside debris should be separated into three categories.
• Construction and demolition debris (lumber, wood, brick, plumbing, plaster, and sheetrock).
• Yard waste (small branches, plant shrubs, and logs no longer than six feet long and 18 inches in diameter).
• The police jury is also able to pick up furniture, mattresses, vacuum cleaners, carpet, plastic items, and electronics).
What the police jury will not pick up are paint, aerosols, acids, roofing shingles, batteries, used antifreeze and oil.
The police jury will accept these items at the landfill, but it will not pick it up alongside the road: waste tires, white goods, large trees, demolished homes, and large appliance boxes.
• The police jury wants residents to place household items in their 96-gallon trash-can instead of putting alongside the road.
• Items such as toys, food waste, clothes, curtains/blind, pots, small appliances and bagged leaves should go in the trash can, the police jury wants.
The landfill, located north of Abbeville, is open six days a week. Monday through Friday ( 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.) and on Saturday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
For questions, you can call the solid waste department at 898-4338.
February 3, 1939 ~ September 5, 2018
KAPLAN—Funeral services were held at 11:00 AM on Sunday, September 9, 2018 at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan honoring the life of Howard Joseph Gaspard, 79, who died Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at Abbeville General Hospital. He was laid to rest at Kaplan Cemetery with Deacon David Vaughn officiating the services.
He is survived by one son, Gerald J. Gaspard of Abbeville; two step-sons, Scotty Guidry of Forked Island and Brock Guidry of Abbeville; two daughters, Linda Gaspard Khodadadi and her husband, Cody of Hurricane, West Virginia and Tammy Marie Guidry of Abbeville; nine grandchildren, Kasen Abshire, Jaden Abshire, Breia Richoux, Rusty Gaspard, Hailey Gaspard, Tiffany Soileau, Tina G. Rose, Christopher Khodadadi, and Britney Khodadadi; and seven great grandchildren, Bailey Rose, Whitney Rose, Bentley Rose, Rusty Gaspard, Jr., Orion Hargrave, Ashlyn Mier, and Shawn Mie
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mayo Gaspard and the former Metelia Roy; two sisters, Elvine Shexnider and Lovinia Lege; and one brother, Whitney Gaspard.
All funeral arrangements were conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 [Service Information 225-5276]. Condolences may be sent to the Gaspard family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
John Robert Allums kicked two field goals in final three minutes of game for VC.
When the game was on the line, the Vermilion Catholic Eagles answered in a big way.
Sophomore kicker John Robert Allums kicked two field goals in the final three minutes of the game to help his team beat Opelousas Catholic 26-23 on Friday.
The young man nailed a 25-yarder with 15 seconds to play, giving the Eagles the dramatic 26-23 win over the Class 2A team.
“Our kicker has ice in his veins,” said VC head coach Kevin Fouquier.
Allums kicked a 27-yard field goal with 2:44 to play in the game that tied the game 23-23.
OC had a chance to march downfield and score the game-winning points, but VC senior defensive back Ethan Lege intercepted the OC pass that set up the game-winning field goal.
VC had a fourth and one with 22 seconds to play in the game. A timeout was called. Instead of kicking it, the Eagles elected to go for it. VC got the break it needed when OC jumped offside to move the ball closer to the goal line.
Fouquier did not waste any time and went to his kicker, and Allums delivered.
The Vermilion Catholic Eagles had success in the air. Drew Lege completed 14 out of 26 for 263-yards, and he threw for two TDs. Ethan Lege had seven catches for 104-yards.
One area Fouquier was not happy with was the penalties. The Eagles had 10 penalties for 90-yards.
In the first half, Drew completed a 85-yard pass to Camden Sellers for a touchdown. Drew then completed a 23 yard TD pass to Garret Wiggins, making the score 12-7 at halftime.
VC will be on the road to play Erath on Friday.
Expected to play defense for Abbeville will be Kevin Dennis (53), Jamal Hoffpauir (38) Chad Celestine (8), Joshua Landry (58), Keiran Shelvin (63) and Christian Alvarez (34).
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March 20, 1959 - August 24, 2018
ABBEVILLE — Funeral service for Janelle Landry is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at Faith Hope Baptist Church – 407 Duroq Street, Abbeville, LA. Burial will be in St. Paul Cemetery.
God Looked around His garden and saw an empty space. He looked down from the sky and picked Janelle’s face. He will love her gently, take care of her too. He needed Janelle more, so we gave her to you. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and a loving sister and friend to many.
Janelle Landry-Wiltz was a native of Erath, La and a resident of Abbeville, LA. Janelle went home to Glory peacefully on Friday, August 24, 2018.
She leaves to cherish her memories, two sons, Kendell Landry(Melissa), and Reginald Landry(Shinequa); two daughters, Melva Ruffin(Darren) and Tamara Landry(Clayton Simon); fourteen grandchildren; four sisters, Lillian Williams(James), Clara McCoy, Velma Captiville(Bethel) and Linda Jones; two god-children, Cole Phillips and Marcus Doumachette.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Melva and Joseph Montgomery Sr.; three brothers, Joseph Montgomery, Ervin Montgomery, and John Alfred Montgomery; two sisters, Terrona Maze and Dorita Montgomery; three nephews, Bethel Captiville, Calvin Captiville, and Patrick Campbell.
Visitation is scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2018 at Faith Hope Baptist Church from 8:00 A.M. until the time of service.
Kinchen Funeral Home – 218 N. St. Valerie Street – Abbeville, LA (337) 898-9595 is in charge of final arrangements. Additionally, condolences to the family may be expressed on our website at: www.kinchenfuneralhome.com.
Vermilion Oaks Country Club is the only golf course in Vermilion Parish. The Abbeville City Council discussed bringing the course into the city and possibly taking over operations.
When the owners of Vermilion Oaks Country Club announced plans to suspended operations last October, someone suggested that the City of Abbeville take over the operations.
Nearly one year later, city officials are looking into that possibility.
The Abbeville City Council voted during Tuesday’s regular meeting to allow Mayor Mark Piazza to form a committee and look into the possibility of the city taking over operations of the golf course, which is owned by the Broussard family. The Council voted 4-0 on the motion, with Councilwoman Roslyn White, a member of the Broussard family, recusing herself from the vote and discussion.
“Although by definition it may not be unethical for me to participate or vote on this issue,” White said in a statement during the meeting, “I do think that my close proximity to Vermilion Oaks property makes it inappropriate for me to participate in the discussion or the vote.
“I don’t want my personal affiliation to influence this council in any way.”
Councilman Francis Touchet Jr. brought the issue to the table on Tuesday.
“I just want us to have a discussion and get some feedback,” Touchet said. “In no way whatsoever do I feel we have the amount of money to go and purchase that particular property. I would think if there was anything we would be looking at, it would be some type of lease. That’s what I would want the Mayor to pursue with the owners.”
One hurdle would be annexing the property into the city. Part of the course is already in the city. Attorney Ike Funderburk is going to look into what the city could do to incorporate the remainder of the more than 100-acre course.
“What would be the process of bringing that property into the city limits?,” Touchet asked. “Would the family be OK with that?”
Touchet said the cost of keeping up the grounds and maintenance are other issues that need to be given a good look.
“We need to know what that cost is,” Touchet said. “We also need to see what insurance will cost if we add that to the city’s liability.”
Setting green fees and staffing the course would be other issues to be discussed.
“Before we do anything,” Touchet said, “we are going to have all of our facts lined up.”
Playing a part in that process will be the committee that the mayor puts together.
“We could get a small advisory committee among some of the professionals here in the community,” Piazza said. “They can give us some ideas and help us with the research and the proper questions to ask.”
Piazza said he feels the course is an important economic driver for the city.
“The golf course can be as important as our airport,” Piazza said. “It’s something that attracts people to Abbeville. They come here and they eat at our restaurants and they buy gas at our gas stations.
“It is important to the economy of our city.”
Touchet said that is his focus.
“I am concerned with providing a golf course,” Touchet said, “for citizens of Abbeville to utilize and most importantly for the youth of the different high schools to have some place to play.”
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Elaine Romain Vallot, at 11:00AM on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Abbeville, officiated by Fr. Chester Arceneaux and Fr. Francois Sainte-Marie. Interment will follow at St. Paul’s Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at David Funeral Home, on Friday, September 7, 2018 from 5:00PM until 8:00PM with a recitation of the rosary at 7:00PM. Visitation will resume on Saturday, September 8, 2018 from 8:30AM until time of service.
Elaine Romain Vallot passed away on Sunday, September 2, 2018, at the age of 88 after a brief illness. A native of New Orleans, Elaine was born on February 25, 1930 to John Romain and Leda Levasseur Romain. After graduating in 1946 from St. Mary’s Academy in the French Quarter, she became a school teacher in Happy Jack, Louisiana. She was married to William D. Vallot, Sr. for 64 years, who preceded her in death one year ago.
Elaine was a devoted mother, housewife and servant in the church. She was a devout lifelong Catholic and faithful member of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Abbeville for approximately 50 years where she served on the Ladies Altar Society and in other capacities. Elaine enjoyed traveling and was blessed to have done so abroad and domestically, as well as traveling the cruise lines. She and her husband were also avid fans of local Zydeco artists and spent years dancing and enjoying live performances throughout the area. Being a native of New Orleans, she treasured the many traditions and festivities that the city is known for and spent much time enjoying them with family. Elaine was a philanthropic person evident by the many charities she supported and, most recently, with the creation of a merit scholarship fund for underprivileged girls attending her alma mater, St. Mary’s Academy.
She is survived by two sons, William “Donny” Jr. (Lisa) and Monte (Patrice); three daughters, Patrice Vallot, Gisele Auzenne (Jerome) and Cecily Vallot; as well as a daughter-in-law, Elaine G. Vallot (Gerard). Elaine is also survived by two sisters, Beulah Benoit of California and Bertha Fronerberger (Owen) of New York. She had ten grandchildren, Ricardo Vallot, Morial Vallot (Nicole) , Tanisha G. Robins (George), Kyla Vallot, Jerome Auzenne Jr. (Quawntel), Ainsley Auzenne, Alexander, Austin and Andrew Vallot, and Devon Vallot-Williams; and six great grandchildren, Sariah, Lyric, Mykah, and Ellyan Robins, Cruz Auzenne and Michael Vallot.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Leda Romain; her husband, William Vallot, Sr.; two brothers, Richard and John Jr. (Gezo); a sister, Joyce Tircuit; a son, Gerard; and a daughter-in-law, Norma.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Abbeville, 2600 Charity Street, (337) 893-3777 is in charge of the arrangements.
318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022
219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548