GERALD JOSEPH ALBARES

July 12, 1934-August 28, 2018
Gerald Joseph Albares, a native and former longtime resident of Patterson and most recently a resident of Baton Rouge, passed away at the age of 84 on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at St. Joseph Hospice’s Carpenter House in Baton Rouge.
Gerald was outgoing, adventurous and spirited. His love of travel took him to many corners of the globe including New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Canada. He was a military veteran, honorably discharged in 1959, and stationed in Germany during part of his U.S. Army enlistment. Gerald’s love of his own country took him to nearly every state in the U.S. From visits to the nation’s capital, annual hunting trips in Wyoming, and a month-long drive from Louisiana to Alaska, he saw and experienced the U.S. on a grand scale. While he cultivated friends from many places, he never lost touch with his old friends and the town of Patterson, his birthplace, where he spent his youth and most of his adult life.
A true man of God, Gerald served faithfully as an altar server in his youth and later as a Eucharistic minister, lector and usher at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Patterson and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. He always placed the needs of others before his own and treasured the time he spent with his daughters and his two grandchildren.
He was an exceptionally hard worker who lived by the motto “you’ve always got to have a game-plan,” often having each hour of his day planned out. He spent his entire working career with Southern Natural Gas Co. in Patterson. After retiring, he worked for the LA Office of Disciplinary Council in Baton Rouge where he remained active until the age of 83.
Gerald was an avid sportsman who played multiple sets of tennis each week, well into his late 70’s. He participated in multiple U.S. senior Olympic Games, medaling in tennis, and he also enjoyed golf, cycling, fitness, hunting and camping. He was an avid fan of the New Orleans Saints and LSU football and baseball. He enjoyed frying fish for the family, and loved to finish the day with good conversation and a cold beer.
Those he leaves to cherish his memory include his daughters, Cindy Albares Vinning and her husband Lance, and Patty Albares Bayles and her husband Nathaniel; two grandchildren, Joseph Lance Vinning and Mary Caroline Vinning; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and family members.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara “Bobbie” Landry Albares; his parents, Acniel Antoine Albares and Eunice Marie Tabor Albares; and one sister, Juanita Albares Shearing.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Saturday, September 1st, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Patterson beginning at 9:00 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial being celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Following Mass, he will be laid to rest in St. Joseph Cemetery. Father Angelo Cremaldi will be the Celebrant for the Mass and conduct the services.
Serving as pallbearers will be Lance Vinning, Joseph Vinning, Nathaniel Bayles, Charles Plattsmier, Christopher Plattsmier and Dr. Robert Adams. Honorary pallbearers will be Clyde Aucoin, James Vining, Dennis Taylor, Bob Watson, Jerry Boyles, Frank Guarisco, Frank Cali and Billy Marin.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1111 Lia Street, Patterson, LA 70392, (985) 395-7873.