RSS Feed

Article Image Alt Text

Abbeville wins Cleanest City District title

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 9:44am

As they passed through Abbeville on Tuesday morning, judges with the Louisiana Garden Club Federation liked what they saw.
That is apparent, as the judges awarded the city with a another district title in the Cleanest City Contest. The city won in District III. This marks five in a row and six out of the last eight times the city has won such an honor.
“It’s nice to have this victory again,” Mayor Mark Piazza said. “We are really excited about it.”
The city had to score at least 95 out of 100 to win the title. Points are deducted for litter and the appearance of municipal buildings, businesses and residences, among other things.
“I would like to thank everyone who worked so diligently to make the Cleanest City Contest such a success,” Abbeville Main Street Director Charlene Beckett said. “With out the help of the Garden Club, Keep Abbeville Beautiful, our City Workers and help from The Arc, and the many volunteers we would not have been able to say that we won the District Contest and that we will be moving to the State competition!
“We look forward to this next phase and everyone’s help, once again, is and will be greatly appreciated!”
District III Cleanest City Contest Chairmen Gwen Lanoux and Patsy Hebert stated that, “Abbeville excelled in the District III Contest. The judges were impressed with the overall cleanliness of the city and the extent of civic pride and community involvement.” Judges for the District III CCC were LGCF members Pam Langley. Ann Corbello, and Stephanie Tompkins.
Piazza thanked all who helped make the win possible, including support from the City Council and everyone with the Abbeville Garden Club and Keep Abbeville Beautiful.
“A lot of the credit goes to the volunteers,” Piazza said. “They are very hard working volunteers, both from Keep Abbeville Beautiful and the Abbeville Garden Club. Those volunteers work very hard to make this a success.”
The Mayor offered a special thanks to the contest committee co-chairs, Sandra Creswell and Liz Gremillion.
“We are thrilled,” Creswell said. “I think this is well deserved because of all the hard work everyone put in.”
That hard work is not over. The city will now go after a state title, which Abbeville has won three times, including 2012 and ‘16. The State Cleanest City contest will be held during the last week of April and first week of May. The exact date for judging in Abbeville will be announced by State Cleanest City Contest Chairperson, Jean Gilstrap.
“The competition gets tougher,” Piazza said. “There are a lot of municipalities out there who work hard and want as much as we do.
“We are looking forward to it and are going to continue to work hard.”
In 1958, the Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. began sponsoring a state-wide “Cleanest City Contest.” To date, Louisiana is the only member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. to sponsor such a contest. The aim of the contest is to instill civic pride in the individual citizens and thus, improve the appearance of villages, towns and cities.
The city of Abbeville is sponsored by the Abbeville Garden Club which is a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc., District III.

Article Image Alt Text

Rayward John Vincent

Tue, 04/10/2018 - 9:20am

February 24, 1938 ~ April 6, 2018

MAURICE — A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11:00 AM on Monday, April 9, 2018 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church honoring the life of Rayward John Vincent, 80, who died Friday, April 6, 2018 at his home.
He was laid to rest at St. Alphonsus Cemetery in Maurice with Fr. Michael Richard officiating the services. Pallbearers were Travis Broussard, Kyle Vincent, Timothy Baudoin, Boyd Landry, Jody Landry and Gary Landry. Honorary pallbearer was Kenneth Broussard.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine Broussard Vincent, sister, Janelle Landry, children, Virgil Vincent and wife Phyllis, Sonya Broussard, Leah Baudoin and her husband Mark, and grandchildren Wendy St. Julien, Katie Kidd, Kyle Vincent, Travis Broussard, Natalie Gray, Timothy Baudoin, Brooke Baudoin; and 11 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Freddie and Emedia Vincent and brother Ronald Vincent.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net” www.vincentfuneralhome.net. All funeral arrangements were conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville.

Article Image Alt Text

Louise Domingues Brown

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 4:52pm

ERATH — A Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Louise Domingues Brown, 100, will be held at 11:00AM on Monday, April 9, 2018 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with her nephew, Msgr. Charles Dubois officiating. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Visitation will be held at David Funeral Home of Erath on Sunday, April 8, 2018 from 5:00PM until 9:00PM with a recitation of the rosary at 7:00PM. Visitation will resume on Monday, April 9, 2018 from 8:00AM until the time of the services.
A native of Henry and a resident of Erath, Mrs. Brown died at 9:10AM on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice. She was a Member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, and the Catholic Daughters of America. She was also a member of the St. Anne's Altar Society in Delcambre. Mrs. Louise loved life and she loved people. She was a charter member of the Demi Tasse Coffee Club which was begun 65 years ago; and an honorary member of the “Twelve and Go” social club of which she and her husband Jay were also charter members. She was a former long time member of a local supper club. Mrs. Louise’s very favorite pastime was visiting with family and friends. She also enjoyed eating out, vacationing with family, and bus trips with her friends. She always said “Don’t invite me if you don’t want me to go”.
She is survived by her only daughter, Anna Louise Saunier and her husband Philippe of Delcambre; two granddaughters, Ann Catherine S. Nunez and her husband Francis of Delcambre and Amy Louise S. Register and her husband Chad of Paragould, AR; six great grandchildren, Oliver Nunez, Reed Register, Grant Register, Parker Nunez, Mackenzie Register, and Ross Register; two sisters, Lorraine D. Simon and Frances D. Lachaussee; and a special first cousin who was like a sister to her, Velma Kallam.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, L.J. “Jay” Brown; her parents, Reista and Elida Dubois Domingues; a brother, Corbet Joseph Domingues and his wife, Velma, two brother in laws, Rodney Simon and Melvin Lachaussee; an infant great granddaughter, Maria Elizabeth Nunez; and her in laws on the Brown side of the family, Priscilla and Edmire Harrington, Beatrice and Wiltz Leblanc, Rosie and Clement Quoyeser, Eupheme and Lloyd Guillott, Regina and Simon Dubois, and Joseph “Joe” and Sadie Brown.
Serving during the mass will be Ann Catherine Nunez, Amy Register, and Mackenzie Register as gift bearers. Jeanne Claire Domingues Turner and Judy Cecile Haseman as the readers, and Kay Judice and Claire Robert as Eucharistic ministers.
Serving as pallbearers will be Francis Nunez, Oliver Nunez, Parker Nunez, Chad Register, Reed Register, Grant Register, and Ross Register.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Heart Hospital and The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice. They also request that donations be made to The Carpenter House of St. Joseph at 923 W. Pinhook Rd. Lafayette, LA 70503 or St. Jude’s Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 USA / donors@stjude.org.
You may sign the guest register book and express condolences online at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Erath at 209 E. Putnam St. (337)937-0405 will be handling the arrangements.

Jeffery Joseph Picard

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 4:49pm

February 21, 1944 ~ April 6, 2018

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, April 9, 2018 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Jeffery Joseph Picard, 74, who died Friday, April 6, 2018 at Vermilion Health Care Center. He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Deacon Tim Marcantel officiating the services.
He is survived by his cousins, Linda Picard Breaux and Theresa Boudreaux.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Picard and the former Felicie Durio; brother, Leroy Charles Picard; two aunts, Stella Picard and Ella Bourque; one uncle, Germain Picard; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bourque.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, April 9, 2018 from 9:30 AM until time of services.
On behalf of the Picard family, we want to thank the staff members of St. Joseph Hospice and Vermilion Health Care Center for enhancing Jeffery’s life and the exceptional care.
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.

Clercy Joseph Prejean

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 4:47pm

October 20, 1923 ~ April 6, 2018

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, April 9, 2018 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Clercy Joseph Prejean, 94, who died Friday, April 6, 2018 at Eastridge Nursing Center. He will be laid to rest at St. Mary Magdalen Cemetery with Fr. Michael Richard officiating the services.
Clercy was a devout catholic having devoted over 60 years as an usher at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 2281, Abbeville Lions Club (# 3897) and March of Dimes.
He is survived by his two sisters, Velta Hebert and her husband Lawrence, and Veltie LeBouef and her husband W.J. “Sonny”; and fifteen nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Irene Broussard Prejean; parents, Ozear Prejean and the former Ozite Frederick; and brother, Norris Prejean.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, April 9, 2018 from 10:00 AM until 1:45 PM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary will be prayed by the Knights of Columbus at noon.
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.

Article Image Alt Text

Councilman Francis Touchet Jr. discusses plans for the space at the old tourism office. The wall behind the wooden shelf will be removed to open up the area. The room to the right will be made into a handicap accessible restroom.

Article Image Alt Text

The partitions will be removed along with the wall to create more space for a new meeting room at the old tourism office in Abbeville.

Putting space to good use

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 10:21am

An empty space owned by the city will soon have a new purpose. Plans are in the works to remodel ...

PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today to the Abbeville Meridional or Gueydan Journal or Kaplan Herald.

Article Image Alt Text

Bryan Golden

Don’t Try

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 10:13am
Bryan Golden

“I’ll give it a try,” is the remark often made by those about to attempt some particular endeavor. We have grown up learning how advantageous it is to give something a try. Unfortunately, giving something a try is actually a back door to failure.
When you give something a try, but are unsuccessful, the typical response is, “Well at least I gave it a try.” So trying is used to excuse failure because at least an attempt was made. Success requires accomplishments, not attempts.
In order to succeed, you must say, “I will do it.” This is a statement of determination to do whatever it takes, as many times as it takes, until your goal is reached. Failure only occurs when you give up. Unrelenting persistence invariably leads to success.
Do you know what you really want? How badly do you want it? Determination is linked to the degree of your desire. Determination is essential to reach your destination. A burning desire propels you to overcome the obstacles you will encounter.
Understanding why you want something helps fuel your determination. You must understand, and have a desire for the benefits you will realize when successful. When the benefits are meaningful to you, your motivation is significantly intensified.
Conversely, if you don’t know why you want something, or its attainment holds no value, there is little enthusiasm to attain it. In this situation, if you are pushed, you are likely to just give it a try. Although this halfhearted attempt is likely to fail, you are covered with the defense of, “At least I gave it a try.”
If the consequences of failure are significant, your motivation to succeed is also boosted. However, if there is no significant down side to failure, there isn’t much of a reason to succeed either.
When you decide you will succeed, drive, determination, and discipline are utilized to make it happen. Drive is the force which gets you moving. Drive causes you to break free from the inertia which acts to keep you in the same place.
Determination enables you to keep going in spite of obstacles. It provides the impetus to get back up whenever you stumble or fall. Determination enables you to transform setbacks into comebacks.
Discipline keeps you moving forward even when the going becomes mundane, tedious, or boring. Discipline creates the mental focus needed to avoid distractions in order to stay on track. Discipline gives you the fortitude to do what you need to do so you can maintain forward progress toward your goals.
Proper planning is one of the steps required for accomplishment. Hit or miss attempts based on guessing or misinformation have little chance of success. Knowing the proper sequence of steps required in order to reach a specific destination is essential. Accurate information is obtained by thoroughly researching how others have attained the same goals you are targeting.
Further study of successful people reveals effective strategies they used to solve problems and overcome obstacles. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Learn from others who are where you want to be.
How long it takes to reach your destination is irrelevant. Time goes by regardless of what you are doing. All that matters is your forward momentum. Keep taking one step after another until you are where you want to be.
Never allow negative criticism from others deter you. The success of your life is not dependent on anyone else’s approval. Opinions as to why what you are doing won’t succeed are of no value. All you need is just one reason why you will reach your goals. “I will do it,” is what you should always tell yourself.

Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper.  2014 Bryan Golden

Article Image Alt Text

Joseph Pilette, Sr.

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 9:19am

December 24, 1939 - April 4, 2018

Joseph, “ -Joe “ Pilette was born on December 24, 1939 in Erath, LA to Eunice Pilette and Rosie David Pilette.
He enlisted in the Army Corps and Army National Guard April 9, 1963 where he completed basic training at the US Army Training center in Fort Knox Kentucky. Joseph Pilette, Sr. held his rank as a SP4 Ammunition Specialist until his honorable discharge April 8, 1966.
He was baptized at an early age at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church. He retired September of 2016 after working 60 plus years.
Joseph Pilette, Sr. was preceded in death by his parents, one son; Derrick Wayne Pilette, four brothers; Claudee Pilette, Wilson Pilette, Arthur Ray Pilette, Earnest Pilette and one sister, Gloria Pilette all of Louisiana.
On Sunday March 25, 2018 at 2:30 AM, at Lafayette General Medical Center God and Creator looked down from Heaven and had compassion upon his servant. His family loved him dearly, but his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ had already prepared a place where he could rest in perfect peace.
Jospeh Pilette, Sr. leaves to cherish his two daughters, Melanie Pilette of Abbeville, LA; Courtney Narcisse (Patrick) of Lafayette, LA, two sons Joseph Pilette, Jr. (Lynette) of Youngsville, LA; Brian Pilette of Abbeville, LA. Five grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be at Kinchen Funeral Home – 218 N. St. Valerie Street – Abbeville, LA (337) 898-9595 from 8:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Kinchen Funeral Home of Abbeville is in charge of final arrangements.
Additionally, condolences to the family may be expressed on our website at www.kinchenfuneralhome.com.

Article Image Alt Text

Gustave James Armond

Fri, 04/06/2018 - 9:17am

Memorial Services for Gustave James Armond will be held Friday, April 6, 2018 at Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville, LA. The family will receive visitors beginning at 11 a.m. until time of service at 1 p.m.
Gustave James Armond was born in Morgan City, LA on June 15, 1954 to the late Audrey Scadlock Armond and Edward Joseph Armond Sr. Gustave made a peaceful transition to his heavenly home on Friday, March 30, 2018 at his residence in Abbeville, LA.
Gustave was a Boat Captain for 42 years. Most say that he was the best Boat Captain in the fleet. He loved being in the open sea. He was a great father figure and an even better grandfather. Gustave will be dearly missed by so many that loved him.
Gustave leaves a lasting legacy with his wife of 44 years Selvina Anne St. Marie Armond; three children: Chad Armond, Mandy Ashley and Phillip Armond; siblings Edward Armond, Billy Armond and Russell Armond.
Share your condolences, words of comfort and send memorial gifts to the family of Gustave Armond by visiting www.lafuneralservices.com
Gustave Armond and his family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Louisiana Funeral Services & Crematory of Broussard (337) 330-8006.

Pages

Vermilion Today

Abbeville Meridional

318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022

The Kaplan Herald

219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548

The Abbeville Meridional Copyright © 2026