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Anna Lou Abshire was born on July 5, 1926. Her father called her his “Little Firecracker” and she lived up to her name. She passed on to heaven to be with her family and friends on September 14, 2021. She spent 95 years spreading her sparkle.
She was most happy doing volunteer work including the Bares Center in Erath, LA, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Little Rock, AR, McAuley Senior Center in Hot Springs Village, AR, and Jackson House in Hot Springs, AR. Mother loved flowers and working in her gardens.
Mother was involved in American Business Women’s Association, American Legion Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, and Day Lily Society in Abbeville, LA; Little Rock, AR and in Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village, AR. She served as an officer in the organizations over the years.
Mother was predeceased by her father and mother Odea Abshire, Sr. and Olita Hanks Abshire and her sisters Mary Lou Falcon of Abbeville, La. and Agnes Viator of Baton Rouge, LA., her brothers Odea Jr, Bernard (Ben), Lloyd, Eugene, Richard, Jimmie, Richard of Abbeville, LA and Roger (Poncho) of Denham Springs, LA and Nolan of New Orleans, LA. She was married to her husband and father of her children Malcolm G. Pierce of Little Rock, AR from 1948 to his passing in 1973; and her husband James Meaux 1990 to 2000. Her grandson William G. Pierce passed away in Jan 2021.
Mother leaves her children Michael Pierce (Lavada) of Hot Springs Village, AR, Marie Pierce of North Little Rock, AR, and James M. Pierce (Charlene) of Little Rock, AR., and her “Daughter of the Heart” Cathleen Trosclair of Stafford, VA . Her grandchildren Michael Shane Pierce of Anchorage, Alaska; Kimberly Pierce Orchard of Houston, TX, and Bryan Pierce; Jamie Trosclair Liban of Richmond, VA, Jackie Trosclair of Alexandria, VA and Jessie Trosclair Wheeler of Roanoak, VA . Great grandchildren: Kristen Orchard and Kyle Orchard of Houston, TX and Mason Pierce and Maxon Pierce of Walker, LA., brothers Norman Abshire of Kaplan, LA and LJ Abshire of Abbeville, LA, and sister Linda Leblanc of Kaplan, LA. and far too many nieces, nephews to mention.
Mother was a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Hot Springs Village. She missed going to church, her friends and the many church activities. Mother was able to live in her own home in Hot Springs Village until March of 2020 when due to the Covid pandemic, she moved to North Little Rock with her daughter. She was fortunately able to live with little assistance until the final month of her life. Her final day was blessed with her granddaughter and great granddaughter visiting in Briarwood Rehab Center. They laughed, ate cookies and looked at old pictures with her, but she had also had her hair done that day. What a great day for her, she slept and peacefully passed while she slept.
Visitation will be held at Griffin Leggett Healey and Roth Funeral Home 5800 W. 12th St., Little Rock, AR on Monday, September 20, 2021 at 10:00 AM. With services following at 11 AM. Father Bill Elser, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Hot Springs Village, presiding. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Wright Ave and Woodrow in Little Rock, AR. A memorial service will be held in Abbeville on Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.
In lieu of flowers, Mother requested that donations be sent to Jackson House 705 Malvern Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71901. Please plant a flower for Mother and smile when you see it. Online condolences may be left at www.GriffinLeggettHealeyRoth.com.

August 14, 1948 ~ September 15, 2021

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, September 20, 2021  at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Lenis James Hebert, 73, who died Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at his residence.  He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Reverned Donald Bernard officiating the services.  Those serving as pallbearers will be Troy Hebert, Toby Hebert, Luke Hebert, Lane Frederick, Craig Frederick and Coy Miller. Honorary pallbearers will be Buck Hebert, Calvin LeBouef, James Hebert, Zander Touchet, C.J. Touchet, and Simon Sundy.
Lenis was a devoted and active member in the Woodman Life Chapter 007, Abbeville Lions Club, Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation, Vermillion Parish Cattlemen’s Association and Vermilion Physical Handicap Association. 
He loved watching his grandchildren show livestock for 4-H.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Elaine LeBlanc Hebert; two sons, Troy Hebert and his wife, Natalie, and Toby Hebert and his wife, Dawn; mother, Bernice Hebert; grandchildren, Kristin, Keri, Kylie, Carly, Luke, Emma, and Lexi; great grandchildren, James, Zander, and Remi-Ann; three sisters, Janice Meaux, Donna Hebert, and Carleen Frederick and her husband, Craig; godchildren, Nicole Steen and Annette Boudreaux.
He was preceded in death by his son, Timmy Jude Hebert; father, Clarence Hebert; brother-in-law, Earl Meaux; mother and father-in-laws, Edwin and Ora LeBlanc.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Sunday, September 19, 2021 from 12:00 PM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Monday, September 20, 2021 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.

ABBEVILLE – Funeral Services for Mr. Francis Edward “Eddie” Romero, Jr., 59, will be held at 2:00PM on Friday, September 17, 2021 at David Funeral Home Chapel of Abbeville, with Pastor Linton Broussard officiating. Interment will follow at St. Paul Cemetery.
Visitation will be at David Funeral Home of Abbeville on Friday, September 17, 2021 from 9:00AM until the time of the services.
A native of Breaux Bridge and a resident of Abbeville, Mr. Romero died at 1:32PM on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at Ochsner of Lafayette Hospital. Eddie was proud of his sons and loved his family and friends. He would helped in any way he could. Eddie loved being a volunteer fireman for the LeBlanc Fire Department and was very committed to the department as long as he was able. He loved camping, welding, working on motors, hunting, fishing, but mostly he loved helping others. He always put himself second in order to help others first.
He is survived by wife of 41 years, Julie Ann Romero of Abbeville; a son, Payton Tyler Romero; two god children, Jacob Foret and Derika Dawn Romero who he loved more than life itself; three brothers, Richard Dale Romero, Paul Romero, and Gerald Romero; four sisters, Katherine Romero, Cynthia Romero, Nicole Romero, and Jennifer Romero; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis E. Romero, Sr. and Dorothy Jean Gatte Romero; and a son, Adam John Romero.
Serving as pallbearers will be Cody Champagne, Payton Romero, Paul B. Johnson, David Smith, Ronald “Tippy” Cessac, and Errol James Romero, II.
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Terry Stephens and Sammy Pullin.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
To help the community stay safe we will honor the August 1, 2021 Louisiana Mandates.  All families and their guests are required to wear a face-covering while at the funeral home and church. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
David Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity St. (337)893-3777 will be handling the arrangement.

When we think about boats on Bayou Teche in days gone by, we think first about steamboats. But a surprising number of ocean-going schooners regularly visited Franklin and other bayou towns, bringing fancy goods and staples from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other places.
According to a story in Harper’s magazine in 1853, this schooner trade started by accident. A captain uncovered the rich Teche trade in the early 1800s when he was hunting for a place to weather a storm.
“Tradition says that … a shrewd downeaster found himself hunting for a harbor along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico,” according to that story. “His brooms, his soap, candles, onions, and cod-fish were tossed about in uncertainty for days and nights, but, true Yankee-like, he turned his misfortunes to a good account, for, ‘guided by Providence,’ he finally found himself after many days in the Teche, surrounded and warmly greeted by a rich agricultural country.
“Here without a rival, he traded and bargained to his heart’s content, exchanging his cargo of ‘notions’ for cotton, fruits, and money, and then bore himself back to the land of ‘steady habits’ a far richer man than when he left it, and the possessor of a secret that gave him the trading monopoly of … the [Teche country].”
That monopoly didn’t last long. A traveler from New Orleans wrote in 1838 that “Franklin … imports direct from the North, and her wharves, in the winter season, are filled with brigs, schooners, and flatboats.”
The Franklin newspaper said in September 1849 that the boats were one of the things that made the fall “a season of interest and excitement” that was “about to break in upon us like a refreshing shower after a severe drought.”
The boats, that story said, “are now beginning to move from the north deeply freighted with rich stores of merchandise with which to flood the country — the bosom of the Teche is soon to be whitened by the sails of northern vessels with gallant streamers floating high in the air — half a score of splendid steamboats will soon be ploughing their way through our lakes and bayous — the dull horn of the oyster-man will soon announce the reappearance of salt water luxuries, and huge flatboats from the upper counties will, before many weeks, [will begin] floating lazily upon the tide of the Teche.”
Two weeks later, ads began to appear in the newspaper for newly filled shops.
S. Smith promoted merchandise brought by the schooner Nimrod, which had just arrived “direct from New York.” Smith promised that “the balance of my goods will arrive in a few days in the Aurora Borealis and the Friends, the whole comprising a very large and well assorted stock.”
Bloch & Godchaux also waited for a “general assortment of clothing and goods” due to arrive aboard the Friends.
The schooner Lanfier delivered to Levy’s store “a splendid assortment of clothing, carpeting, blankets, prints, ladies’ dress goods, hats, boots, and shoes … cutlery, and a general assortment of goods.”
When the Friends did arrive, it turned out to be an unhappy trip. The Planters’ Banner reported on Nov. 1, that after unloading its cargo and heading back to sea, it had to return to Patterson “under the most unpleasant circumstances.”
“The Captain and one of the hands died after they returned to the Bay from Last Island, and the vessel being unable to put to sea under those circumstances has come up the river to remain until arrangements can be made for her to depart.”
Schooners and other small ships called at Franklin regularly enough that the Planters’ Banner began to feature a column of “Marine News” listing arrivals and departures from the town. The column listed more than 20 sailing ships coming or going in the single month of February 1850.
Those schooners brought in tons of goods and also hauled out local produce. A compilation for the full year 1848 shows that 145 sailing ships called at Franklin. They left laden with, among other things, 16,589 hogsheads of sugar, 19,614 barrels of molasses, and 55,900 feet of timber.
It appears that crafty Yankee captains weren’t the only ones to turn a profit from the trade.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.