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Geraldine “Jerry” DuBois

Sat, 07/22/2017 - 12:23pm

ERATH — A Mass of Christian Burial for Geraldine “Jerry” DuBois, 75, will be 1:00PM Tuesday July 25, 2017 in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Father Andre Metrejean officiating. Entombment will follow in Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be in David Funeral Home of Erath Monday July 24, 2017 from 4:00PM until 9:00PM with recitation of the rosary at 7:00PM and will resume Tuesday from 8:00AM until service time.
Jerry, a lifelong resident of Vermilion Parish, passed away Friday July 21, 2017 in her residence surrounded by her family. She was very passionate about crabbing, cast-netting, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family. She also had a special love for her pets.
She is survived by her loving companion of 33 years, Gene Richard of Erath; her children, Twiley Blanchard Yorke and husband Jim of Vinton, Cindy Blanchard Landry and husband David of Erath, Doris Blanchard Gaspard and husband Mark of New Iberia, Charles “Charlie” Blanchard and wife Kathy of Carencro, Donna Blanchard LeBlanc and husband Kerney of Lafayette; siblings, Rita DuBois Romero and husband Russell of Shreveport, Allen DuBois and wife Pat of Ocean Springs, MS, Judy Dubois Frederick and husband Leonard of Mire, Wendy Stelly Broussard and husband Lynn of Abbeville; 14 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren, 3 great great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Telesphore and Rita Toups DuBois, a brother, Michael DuBois, a grandson, Justin Blanchard, a great grandson, Matthew Paul Blanchard, and a nephew, Jason Romero.
Serving as her Pallbearers will be Charles Blanchard, Brandon Labit, Blaine Landry, Allen DuBois, Keith Stelly, and Allen James DuBois.
The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, and the staff of Hospice of Acadiana Inc. of Lafayette.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Erath is in charge of arrangements 209 E. Putnam St. Erath, LA 70533, (337) 937-0405.

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The group from Frisco, Texas volunteered at the Arc of Vermilion, among other sites.

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Texas teens bring faith, hope to Abbeville Community

Wed, 07/19/2017 - 11:46am

For the third year in a row, St. Francis Church in Frisco, Texas brought over 60 teens to serve the Abbeville area. Hosted by Family Missions Company at Our Lady of the Bayou Retreat House, the teens supported the community in a variety of ways through physical labor, cheerful spirits and spiritual support.
They helped with projects at the Christian Service Center, Faith Hope Missionary Baptist Church, St. Theresa's Church, The Arc of Vermilion, and made visits to Maison du Monde nursing home. They also contributed to improvements at Our Lady of the Bayou Retreat house, who has made massive improvements over the last year in order to accommodate larger groups, such as the "Frisco Group", which gets larger every year.
"We really appreciate and enjoy the partnership from Family Missions Company and other local faith communities" said Marcelo Davis, Director of Operations for the Christian Service Center. "St. Francis in Frisco is where I renewed my commitment to my faith years ago, I became involved in serving the youth. Later, when my wife and I moved to Abbeville from Frisco, we were thrilled to be able to welcome their service and support here with us in Abbeville, now for the third year in a row."
Gerry Martin, a full-time missionary with Family Missions Company worked with the group the entire week. "It was my first year working with the teens from Frisco, Texas. The youth were enthusiastic, joyful, hard working and ever eager to complete their work projects." Martin added, "It was a blessing to be part of their experience here, praying with them, discussing scripture with them, and learning of their struggles and hopes for the future."
The Christian Service Center, Family Missions Company and other local faith communities continue to build bridges and stronger partnerships as they combine efforts in service and resources to provide the best support possible to the community.
"Our hope is to continue to build on the momentum from Spirit Fest and our CSC Cafe Grand Opening" said Marcelo Davis. "For Spirit Fest, we were all together in one place, in one spirit and one mind in one accord...lets keep going. There is nothing to be afraid of, we will keep moving forward with whoever desires to join us. All are invited, regardless of faith, race or creed. We want everyone to know, we all have something to contribute, it brings us joy to find unity in our diversity."
Recently, the Christian Service Center has welcomed the continued support of St. Paul's Episcopal Church community and Harvest Time, who have offered to cook in the new CSC Cafe to serve lunch for those in need.
"This week, the Boy Scouts even joined us and painted our deck, its been a joy-filled week with many projects happening, and we are so grateful." CSC volunteer added.
The next event will be the Summer Food Drive on Saturday, July 29th. If you would like to participate, contact the CSC. On the day of the event, drop off food on Saturday at 701 Chevis Street. For more information email the CSC Volunteer Coordinator at cscabbeville@gmail.com or call 337-893-9756.

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Ricky Dale Dietz, Sr.

Tue, 07/18/2017 - 4:22pm

June 4, 1962 ~ July 17, 2017

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, July 20, 2017 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Ricky Dale Dietz, 55, who died Monday, July 17, 2017 at his residence. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Pastor David Delino officiating the services.
Ricky is survived by his son, Terry Dietz of Abbeville; two granddaughters, Briana Dietz and Annie Dietz both of Abbeville; former spouse, Ada Carver of Abbeville; two brothers, Leroy Dietz and Luke Dietz; and three sisters, Elizabeth Henry, Charlotte Becker and Celina Dietz.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Freddie Dietz and the former Florence Milliman; and son, Ricky Dale Dietz, Jr.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM; Thursday, July 20, 2017 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.

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Editha Mary Trahan Campbell

Tue, 07/18/2017 - 4:03pm

August 20, 1943 ~ July 18, 2017

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church honoring the life of Editha Mary Trahan Campbell, 73, who died Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at Maison du Monde Living Center. She will be laid to rest at Graceland Cemetery with Rev. Gregory Cormier officiating the services.
Editha is survived by her four sons, Paul Campbell of Abbeville, Darrell Campbell of Lafayette, John Campbell of Virginia, and Nelson Campbell of Abbeville; three daughters, Maudrey Hendricks of Tyler, TX, Annette Campbell of Lake Charles, and Agnes Campbell of Maurice; step-son, Donald Campbell of Holden, LA; ten grandchildren; three brothers, Odeon Trahan of Jennings, Raymond Trahan of Tennessee, and George Trahan of Meaux; and one sister, Joyce Gaspard of Kaplan.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Eraste Trahan and the former Oreline Fontenot; former spouse, John J. Campbell; two sons, John Campbell Jr. and Marcus Campbell; two brothers, Ray Allen Trahan and Roland Trahan; and one sister, Mary Hebert.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Friday, July 21, 2017 from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Saturday, July 22, 2017 from 8:00 AM until 9:45 AM when the procession will depart for the church.
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.

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Unrestrained Driver Killed in Single Vehicle Crash

Tue, 07/18/2017 - 9:29am

ST. LANDRY PARISH – On July 12, 2017, shortly before 9:30 p.m., Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop I responded to a single vehicle injury crash on LA 105 south of LA 10 in St. Landry Parish.
The preliminary investigation revealed 19-year-old Phillip Peoples Jr. of Buras, was operating a 2000 Acura TL northbound on LA 105. For reasons still under investigation, the vehicle traveled across the centerline and southbound lane of travel. The vehicle ran off of the roadway and struck a ditch causing it to overturn
Peoples was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Troopers were notified by hospital personnel on a later date, Peoples died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Impairment was not suspected to be a factor in the crash. This crash remains under investigation.
Louisiana State Troopers wish to remind motorists that all occupants of a motor vehicle must be restrained, regardless of seating position. While not all crashes are survivable, statistics show that the chances of surviving a crash rise significantly when properly restrained. Making good choices while in motor vehicles such as never driving while impaired, always ensuring every occupant is properly restrained, and avoiding all distractions can often mean the difference between life and death.

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Brittney Lopez

Lopez completes course to help veterans, military personnel

Tue, 07/18/2017 - 9:21am

Sunrise Realty in Abbeville announced today that it’s fulltime sales agent, Brittney Lopez, has completed the required hours of training and orientation to become a certified graduate of “Boots Across America.”
“Boots Across America” is a national certification course which educates loan officers, realtors, and housing professionals on how to work with military clients.
Lopez says she took the course in order to give back to veterans and active military personnel. The additional help Lopez hopes to give veterans and active personnel is to find a lender, and then help them get pre-approved for a home loan.
If a veteran would happen to be deployed during the process of buying a home, she could help and protect the veteran to a successful closing.
“Military members face many unique challenges when buying a home and we believe it is our duty to help,” said Lopez. “The “Boots across America certified military home specialist course gave me the skills I need to work with military home buyers. I am so excited to put these newly developed skills into practice.”
Some of the items that Lopez has learned during this certification process is to:
• Understand military lifestyle
• Recognize ranks and be familiar with military language
• Understand how to read the Leave and Earning Statement (LES) and be familiar with factors that affect military pay
• Know the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) and its responsibility
• Identify housing assistance resources for Service members
• Understand the regulations that protect Service members (SCRA, USERRA)
• Foreclosure Presentation & Housing Assistance Resources
• Understand Special Situations: What happens to an injured Service member’s entitlements
• Help veterans avoid scams and unscrupulous lenders
James Noel, Owner/Broker of Sunrise Realty, stated that the benefits offered by Lopez’s association with “Boots Across America” should be a tremendous asset to veterans of our community in search of home ownership.

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Wednesday’s Celebrity Waiter raised $80,000 for the Boys & Girls Club. The event was held at the V.N. Hall in Abbeville.

Successful year for Celebrity Waiter in Abbeville

Mon, 07/17/2017 - 9:19am

For one night each year, the Boys & Girls Club’s Celebrity Waiter is a fun event enjoyed by many in ...

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Letter to the Editor

Mon, 07/17/2017 - 9:16am

Dear Editor:

This is a letter that was sent to Keith Stutes this week.

Office of the District Attorney
15th Judicial District
Keith A. Stutes District Attorney

Dear Keith :

I am writing to you as the President of the Vermilion Parish School Board. Kibbie Pillette, one of our elected Board Members, has made statements at the Board’s last (2) two public meetings that the School Board is violating State law.
On the June 15th meeting of the Board he stated, “things are being done in the system that are illegal.” (tape of meeting) At the June 26th meeting, Mr. Pillette said, “As far as the legality of some of the things that’s being done, they are highly questionable because at a lot of the moves that are made by board members.” (tape of meeting)
These allegations challenge the integrity of this elected board. They raise questions with the public as to what is truly going on. They undermine our school system. They require an independent investigation as (4) four of our board members including Mr. Pillette don’t trust the legal opinions of our Board attorney, Calvin Woodruff.
I am asking you as the 15th JDC District Attorney that you conduct an immediate investigation to determine the truth of Mr. Pillette’s accusations of wrongdoing by our Board. If there are violations of State law you need to take appropriate action. However, if Mr. Pillette’s accusations are without factual basis, you need to say so as accusing a person of a crime without a factual basis is defamation per se.
Please under take this investigation at your earliest possible time.

With kindest regards, I am
Yours truly,

Anthony J. Fontana, Jr.
President of Vermilion Parish School Board and District E Representative

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