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Crabby distant relative is an unwelcome freeloader

Thu, 02/18/2021 - 8:45am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: My husband is an amazing guy. We have a very nice life except for an older sort-of family member who is living with us.
“Nathan” has been living in the house for years, but he isn’t a blood relative. He’s my husband’s late stepfather’s brother. Nathan is a several-times-divorced curmudgeon who was living in a shed. He was allowed to stay here to get on his feet and, partially, out of respect for the stepfather.
Nathan refuses to help out in any way. He comes and goes as he pleases and is living rent-free. We pay the mortgage and all the bills. Nathan buys food and stuff for himself, but then will eat the household food my mother-in-law buys.
I’m tired of the garbage he makes. He smokes in his room, and he’s nasty, rude and demanding. He needs to move out or pay up, but my husband doesn’t want to do anything. Advice?
UNHAPPY AT HOME

DEAR UNHAPPY: Just this. Realize that nothing will change until your husband is finally willing to put his foot down and insist on some changes, or the freeloader leaves this earthly plane for the next.
I would have used the phrase “goes to heaven,” but it appears Nathan is already experiencing heaven right here on Earth, so do not expect him to move on his own.
DEAR ABBY: I was recently informed that my best friend of 10 years, “Darlene,” planned to ghost me as soon as she got pregnant. I’m shocked that she would say such a thing or plan to do it. I always thought I was a good friend.
But now Darlene and her husband are getting a divorce, and she has been all chummy. I have a sour taste in my mouth. Do I stay friends and get over it, or give her her wish and disappear?
UNFRIENDED IN THE WEST

DEAR UNFRIENDED: Are you sure the person who informed you about her plan is credible? Could they be jealous of the close friendship you have with Darlene?
Frankly, it would be incredibly stupid for a person planning to ghost someone to tell a mutual friend who might leak it before the fact. Talk to Darlene! Do not end the friendship unless you are absolutely certain what you were told was the gospel.

DEAR ABBY: My 82-year-old mother made a special request of her visiting relatives on Christmas Day. She asked everyone to hand over their cellphones for the entire celebration upon entering or “don’t come.” She said she would return them as we left.
Certain family members had major meltdowns because of her request. My mother, as always, provided hors d’oeuvres, dinner and gifts for all 23 people.
Do you think this was a fair request?
NOT A BIG DEAL

DEAR NOT: Your mother wanted to encourage more than superficial communication. As she indicated, if anyone felt her request was too much of an imposition, they were free to refuse her invitation.
The oldest rule of entertaining is: The host makes the rules. Of course it was a fair request!
***
Good advice for everyone — teens to seniors — is in “The Anger in All of Us and How to Deal With It.” To order, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

HAROLD JAMES “SIGHTLESS” EDWARDS

Thu, 02/18/2021 - 8:20am

Harold James “Sightless” Edwards, 86, a native and resident of Franklin, La., passed away peacefully on Sunday February 14, 2021 at 1:28 a.m. at Franklin Foundation Hospital in Franklin, La.
Visitation will be observed on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at Triumph Baptist Church 1005 Iberia Street Franklin, La., from 8 a.m. until funeral services at 11 a.m. (All visitors are asked to adhere to the CDC-local regulations by wearing masks and practicing social distancing.) Pastor Carl F. Lewis Sr., will serve as the Officiant. Burial will follow funeral services in the Franklin Cemetery - Main Street in Franklin, La.
Memories of Harold will forever remain in the hearts of his loving wife of fifty-four years, Marolyn Edwards; one daughter, Dana C. (Earl) Bradley; two grandchildren, Aaron Bradley and Khileigh Francis; one great-grandson, Aaron Bradley, Jr. all of Franklin, La.; four girls he helped to raise, Allegra Roberson, Makayla McDaniel, Carolyn (Johnell) McDaniel, and Cameron McDaniel; his siblings, Alvin (Sandra) Burrell, Carlton Burrell, and Norma (Charles) Morgan all Franklin, La., George (Isabella) Burrell of Bossier City, La., Freddie Burrell and James Burrell both of Baldwin, La., David Burrell of Beaumont, TX, Mable Burrell of Houston ,TX, and Laura Burrell of Orlando, FL; two brothers-in-law, Jessie Brown and Danny Colar: one sister-in-law, Amy Edwards; a very devoted big sister-cousin, Shirley Burrell Harris; dear friends, Barry Druilhet, Elijah Roberson, Mack Johnson and James Dennis and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives.
Harold was preceded in death by his son, Lora Edwards; parents, the Reverend Harry Burrell and Mary Edwards; siblings, Horace Lacy Burrell, Morris Burrell, Donald Edwards, Lee Harold “J.C.” Burrell, David Carey Sr., and Robert Burrell and both his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home. Please visit; www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family

GLENN MICHAEL MORRIS

Thu, 02/18/2021 - 8:17am

Glenn Michael Morris, 70, a resident of Morgan City (Siracusa Area), La. and native of Bayou Sale, La., passed away peacefully on Friday February 12, 2021 at 3;35 p.m. at Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, La.
A public walk through viewing will be conducted from 4 pm until 6 pm on Friday February 19, 2021 at Jones Funeral Home 715 Sixth Street Morgan City, La. (All visitors are asked to adhere to the CDC-local regulations by wearing masks and practicing social distancing with the recommendation of signing the registry book, viewing and exiting). A private service will be held. Services will be accessible by viewing the Jones Funeral Home, Inc. Facebook Pages at 11 a.m. on Saturday February 20, 2021. Glenn will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.
Memories of Glenn will forever remain in the hearts of his loving wife, Yvonne Singleton Morris of Morgan City (Siracusa), La.; daughter, Avonna Morris (fiance’ André) of Youngsville, La.; siblings, Mrs. Herbert (Grace ) Blackburn of Patterson, La., Mrs. Kerry (Dianne )Ventress of Verdunville, La., Mrs. Christopher (Elizabeth )Williams of Verdunville, La., Rose Francis Johnson of Austin, TX, Earnest Ventress (Bethonia) of St. Helena Island, SC, McKinley Ventress (Tintin) of Fan Yating Kawait, and Earl Ventress (Jennifer) of Jeanerette, La.; three sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Glenn was preceded in death by his grandmother, mother, father-in-law, and mother-in-law
Arrangements entrusted to Jones Funeral Home. Please visit; www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

19 new COVID cases, no deaths in local parishes

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 12:25pm

Nineteen new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in three local parishes for the 48 hours ending at midday Wednesday.

The Louisiana Office of Public Health didn't make its daily report Tuesday because of the Mardi Gras holiday.

Eight new confirmed COVID cases were reported Wednesday for St. Mary, raising the pandemic total to 3,274 confirmed cases and 737 probable.

Ten new confirmed cases in St. Martin raised the pandemic total to 4,376 confirmed and 401 probable.

One new Assumption confirmed case makes the total 1,517 confirmed with 546 probable.

The death tolls remain at 106 confirmed with 12 probable in St. Mary, 101 confirmed with eight probable in St. Martin and 29 with four probable in Assumption.

Statewide:
--179 new cases make the pandemic total 364,924 confirmed with 56,994 probable.

--66 newly reported deaths make the death toll 8,740 confirmed with 651 probable.

--The number of COVID-positive people in Louisiana hospitals remains at 849.

--11 fewer people are on ventilators for a total of 126.

St. Mary begins to thaw

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:41am

Rare winter storm brings Arctic air and makes roads slippery and slippery ice

Staff Report

The Tri-City area looked forward to 50-degree warmth Wednesday after struggling with sub-freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation from Winter Storm Uri, which struck much of the nation.
Winter hasn’t quite relinquished the grip.
Icing on the La. 83 overpass led the Sheriff's Office to close it early Wednesday. U.S. 90 was also closed between La. 83 and Calumet.
Lows just below freezing are in the National Weather Service forecast for Friday and Saturday mornings in east St. Mary. And the service warned that rain was possible Wednesday before the temperature rose above freezing, making icy conditions possible on bridges and overpasses.
Elsewhere in the state, the Alexandria area was experiencing another round of wintry precipitation Wednesday with accumulation of up to a quarter-inch of ice expected. All state offices were closed Wednesday.
Closer to home, the National Weather Service was calling for a high of 54 degrees Wednesday in east St. Mary. A 30% chance of rain was expected to grow to 80% during the day and to 90% Wednesday night. The rain should end Thursday, and highs will be in the 40s and lows near freezing into Saturday.
This winter weather event wasn’t as notable for its cold temperatures or frozen precipitation as for its duration.
The temperature measured at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport near Patterson dropped to freezing just before 6 a.m. Monday and, except for about an hour Monday afternoon, stayed at 32 degrees or below for more than 48 hours.
The coldest weather came about 4 a.m. Tuesday, when the mercury dropped to 21 degrees and stayed there until almost 9 a.m. Wind chills Monday dropped in the teens
Among the impacts of the winter weather:
—The poweroutages.us website reported that more than 2,300 of Cleco’s 18,891 St. Mary customers were without power Monday morning. Nearly 90% of the affected customers had power again by Monday afternoon. Cleco reported that 58 St. Mary customers were blacked out at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The utility put on 400 contractors to restore power in addition to the company’s own resources, Cleco said.
The more enduring story related to Uri may turn out to be the health of the power grid.
Although St. Mary was spared, communities across much of the state were subject to rolling blackouts beginning Tuesday morning, many lasting for 20 minutes, in an effort by utilities to protect the region’s power distribution system.
The rolling blackouts were directed by Midcontinent Indep-endent System Operator, the region’s reliability coordinator, in response to increased demand for electricity, Cleco said.
The order was lifted Tuesday night.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said he spoke with the CEO of Entergy and other utilities after the rolling blackouts were ordered.
“They assured me this was done as a last resort, in order to prevent more extensive, prolonged power outages in Louisiana that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid,” Edwards said. “Further, these rolling outages will be done only when necessary, and the aim will always be to minimize the impact to any individual customer or household.”
Edwards noted that other southern states imposed rolling blackouts.
“We are not the only state where extreme winter weather has taxed electrical and generation systems, and it is our hope that this issue will be resolved quickly and with minimal impact to our people.”
In Texas, more than 2 million people were still without power Wedn-esday, leading to a fierce debate over whether the problem with that state’s electricity distribution is a lack of regulation or regulations mandating a move toward renewable energy sources.
—Freezing rain Monday led to the closures of many businesses and closed down the parish’s main traffic artery for several hours.
Local officials closed the U.S. 90 bridge early Monday, and it stayed closed until just before 10 a.m. Tuesday.
U.S. 90 itself from Morgan City east to La. 24 and from Berwick west to Franklin was also closed for much of Monday. Traffic was diverted to La. 182.
Icing on bridges and overpasses remained a concern.
The police radio logs submitted by the Morgan City Police Department reported four traffic incidents and a crash Monday and one traffic incident Tuesday.
—There was no snow day for local K-12 students. Schools were scheduled to be closed Monday through Wednesday anyway because of Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday. South Louisiana Community College schools turned to remote learning Monday.
—The weather claimed at least one life in south Louisiana. A 50-year-old Carencro man died from a head injury after slipping on ice Monday. The body of a Lafayette woman, 74, was also found outdoors early Tuesday.

Kids and concussions: Injury risk for prep athletes doesn't draw NFL-level attention

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:29am

HUNTER M. McCANN, KEITH A. FELL JR, ANTHONY J. MOCKLIN LSU Manship School News Service

Part one of a two-part series

BATON ROUGE — “I couldn’t move my legs.”
Lance Garafola lay on the turf of a high school football field wondering what had happened and where the feeling in his lower body had gone. The crowd and both sidelines fell silent as trainers rushed onto the field.
Garafola was a sophomore at St. Michael the Archangel High School in 2016 when a Loranger High player blindsided him on an onside kick. Paramedics were brought in when Garafola said he couldn’t feel his legs, but they hesitated to move him because of the possible severity of his injury. Silence and fear hung in the air for over an hour before they raised him onto a stretcher and Garafola threw up his thumb to let his teammates and fans know he was conscious.
He was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. The loss of feeling in the lower half of his body, which lasted for a little over 5 minutes, was created by the concussion and the shock from the hit to his head.
Nearly every football fan knows that concussions are a serious problem in the NFL and in college games, but less attention has been paid to the dangers facing younger athletes. Experts say high school players also face some degree of risk every time they step on the field.
The hits are not usually as hard in high school as the one that left Garafola temporarily paralyzed, but medical surveys indicate that 67,000 concussions are diagnosed nationwide among high school football players each year, with many more occurring without being evaluated.
One concern is that few high schools can afford the kinds of sophisticated safety measures that NFL and college teams now take. Garafola and others also say that many high school players are reluctant to report concussions, even when they cause problems like short-term memory loss, for fear of being sidelined for good.
Garafola, who kept playing football through his senior year, said he was diagnosed with one other concussion but probably
In 2008, 1.11 million high schoolers played football, but the total slipped to 1.006 million by the 2018-2019 school year, the lowest since 1999-2000, according to the National Federation of High Schools.
Medical researchers have evaluated the brains of former professional football players and found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative disease caused by hard hits to the head. The disease destroys brain cells and can lead to depression, anxiety, aggression and suicidal tendencies. CTE can be diagnosed only after death when brain tissue can be removed and evaluated.
Damage can occur as early as high school when brains are not fully developed, though some experts say it might take years of repeated hits to the head in college and pro ball for the disease to become severe.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association does not keep records of concussions across all schools. Lee Sanders, the assistant executive director, said the organization requires coaches and trainers to take an annual safety course so they can tell students what a concussion is, how it feels and why they should speak up if they believe they are suffering from one.
Andy Bryson, the owner of Louisiana-Texas Gridiron Football, a website based in Denham Springs, said the LHSAA and many high schools need to do more to guarantee the safety of student athletes.
Bryson, a former high school and college assistant coach who is one of the top talent scouts in the state, said high schools in Florida, Texas, Ohio and California hire fully trained position coaches, while the assistant coaches at many Louisiana schools are teachers who help out with the football team on the side. “They might hire a teacher who knows something about Madden football and plays to be a coach,” he said.
It also can be hard for the players to tell when they have concussions, Bryson said. “You don’t actually know you have a concussion until you’re over there throwing up on the sidelines,” he said.
Nick Monica, the head football coach at Rummel High School in Metairie, said one or two of his players have mild concussions each year.
The school gives all of its players a baseline mental acuity test when they make the team, and if they show signs of a concussion later, they take the test again.
Monica said some concussions occur when players hit their heads on the ground.
Dale Weiner, the former head football coach at Catholic High in Baton Rouge, said more concussions are being reported now that there is greater emphasis on safer tackling techniques.
Still, he said, “I think some guys are more prone to it because of their style of play. Some guys are more wide-open and reckless by nature.”
While the helmets used at all levels of football now provide more protection against head injuries, most high schools lack the funding to provide devices, like mouth guards that can monitor the pressure from big hits, that the pros and big colleges use. Rural and inner-city high schools have even fewer resources to combat the problem.
.Louisiana high schools get some help from Tulane University’s sports science department, which puts on an annual seminar about concussions for high school athletes in various sports.
“They kept showing football players mostly who would get concussions in games and then later on down the line they would have really traumatic injuries,” said Caleigh Foto, a kinesiology major at LSU who went to the seminar when she was in high school.
“I thought it was really beneficial every year that we did it because normally you just think you hit your head and it’s going to heal just like a bruise,” she said.
Garafola said he hid some of his concussions so he could keep playing football.
He thinks the concussions are why he struggles with depression and not feeling like himself on occasion.
He also worries that the injuries could permanently affect him.
major at LSU, has had his share of concussions. He was a linebacker at Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas whose job was to pursue and tackle the ballcarrier every play.
“Concussions are no joke,” he said. “You kind of forget where you are for a little bit. Once you realize what’s happening, you involuntarily tear up because your body doesn’t know what’s happening. I’ve had one where I woke up and everything was blood red as if someone put a red filter over my eyes.”
He mentioned memory loss as one of the main symptoms from his concussions. Short-term memory loss is usually more common in the first few concussions but can become worse after repeated hits.
“My worst one was when I was a senior,” deBouchel said. “After getting hit, I apparently played the rest of the game, and then I started crying once everything set in. I had to ask my teammate who we were playing and what the score was. Amnesia definitely happens if it’s bad enough.”

Jessica Speziale and Henry Weldon contributed to this story.

Berwick, Central Catholic headed to basketball playoffs

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:22am

Staff Report

Two Tri-City area girls basketball teams qualified for the high school basketball playoffs, including one that will be making its first appearance since the 2006 postseason.
Berwick High School snapped a drought of 14 consecutive seasons without a postseason bid when it was announced as the No. 31 seed in the Class 3A bracket Monday. It will face No. 2 seed and Class 3A powerhouse Albany on the road Thursday at 6 p.m. in bi-district action.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic qualified for the Division IV postseason as the No. 15 seed and will begin postseason play Monday at 6:30 p.m. when it travels to New Iberia to face District 8-1A foe and No. 2 seed Highland Baptist.
Below is a preview of Berwick’s first-round game, while Central Catholic’s playoff preview will be in Friday’s newspaper.
Berwick vs. Albany
The Berwick Lady Panthers will hit the court against Albany Thursday in a matchup of teams that have had different basketball histories in recent years.
While Berwick has qualified for the postseason for the first time since the 2006 season, Albany has advanced at least to the quarterfinal round every year since 2011.
This year, Albany is 19-5 overall and finished 7-0 in District 8-3A. While the squad’s regular season finale against Livingston Collegiate was canceled, the squad has won 10 straight dating back to a 70-60 defeat to Madison Prep in Episcopal’s tournament Dec. 29.
Albany’s wins this year have come against Fontainbleau, Slidell, Plaquemine, University Lab, Zachary, Port Allen, Springfield, Live Oak, Ouachita Christian, Denham Springs, Holden, Loranger (twice), Bogalusa (twice), Jewel Sumner (twice), St. Michael the Archangel and Archbishop Hannan,
Meanwhile, Berwick won five straight before falling at St. James, 42-28, in its regular-season and District 9-3A finale Friday.
The Lady Panthers finished the regular season with a 13-9 record, including a 2-4 mark in district.
Berwick’s wins have come against Centerville (twice), Collegiate Baton Rouge, Loreauville, Delcambre, Thrive Academy, Fisher, Morgan City, David Thibodaux, Covenant Christian, Patterson, Lutcher and Westminster Christian.
Berwick senior Jalaysia “Lay” Bertrand, who leads the squad this year, was named MaxPreps/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week for Feb. 1-7 for Region 6. In four games, she averaged 23.3 points, 5 rebounds and 4.2 steals. This season, she has per-game averages of 22.9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 3.7 assists.
Elsewhere, the Tri-City area hoops season ended for girls basketball teams at Morgan City and Patterson last week.
Morgan City dropped its regular season finale Thursday at South Lafourche, 64-18.
The Lady Tigers finished their season with a 7-15 overall mark, including a 1-9 record in District 8-4A.
Meanwhile, Patterson won its regular-season and District 9-3A finale against Donaldsonville at home, 41-38, Friday. The victory avenged a 40-21 loss at Donaldsonville Jan. 26.
Patterson finished its season with a 7-9 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in district.
MCHS soccer
finishes season
The Morgan City Tigers finished their season on Feb. 5 with a 4-1 loss at Leesville in Division III bi-district playoff action.
Morgan City entered the postseason as the No. 20 seed, while Leesville was the No. 13 seed.
Morgan City finished its season with a 5-12-2 mark.

School Board Employees of the Month

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:19am

The Daily Review/Geoff Stoute
Employees of the Month were recognized at Thursday’s St. Mary Parish School Board meeting in Centerville. February honorees were Mary Soileau, special education teacher at Bayou Vista Elementary; Harry Coleman, custodian at Centerville Junior High; and Michael Swiber, band director at Morgan City High School. A January Employee of the Month, Amy Isham, a prekindergarten teacher at Hattie Watts Elementary in Patterson, also was recognized.

SE La. levee plan's price raises questions

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:13am

DAVID JACOBS, The Center Square

The federal government has proposed building a levee system that could give residents of seven southeast Louisiana parishes the same level of storm flood protection as New Orleans, but local officials are hoping to whittle down the estimated $1.9 billion price tag.
The federal government likely would pay 65% of the cost if officials give the project final approval, with state and local partners expected to pick up the rest. A local funding source has not been identified.
“We need for these things to work,” South Lafourche Levee District General Manager Windell Curole said. “But a levee that’s not quite as strong is better than no levee. Something is better than nothing.”
The Upper Barataria Basin project is intended to protect communities west of the Mississippi River in portions of Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes from flooding caused by a “100-year storm,” or a storm that has a 1% chance of hitting the region in any given year.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held online public meetings about the project in January and have kicked the project up to Washington, D.C., for approval.
If approved, preliminary engineering and design could begin this year if the money is available, said Wes Leblanc with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Leblanc said parish governments and local levee districts likely would provide collectively the local cost share. St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell said millions of dollars local taxpayers already are putting into levees can be counted as part of the match.
Leblanc said the locals are building to about 7 feet above sea level, while the Corps envisions going as high as 18.5 feet to meet the 100-year standard.
“There’s going to have to be some kind of discussion between the locals and the Corps about how they align this project with what the locals have already done,” Leblanc said. “We think 12 feet, right now, would get them close to 1%.”
That 1% threshold is key, because reaching it would allow residents to save a significant amount of money on flood insurance, Jewell said.
A similar plan was scrapped because the anticipated benefits didn’t justify the expected cost. Under the more ambitious plan under consideration, the project would produce almost $90 million in average annual benefits at an average annual cost of almost $69 million, for a benefit-to-cost ratio of 1.3, the Corps said.
“The value of what you’re protecting is much more than the cost of building the project,” Jewell said.
If it turns out the project can be built for less than the Corps’ current projection, the ratio improves, Jewell noted. He said he has seen estimates as low as $600 million.
“What they’re saying the cost is right now might not be the actual cost,” Jewell said, adding the Corps’ methodology should be scrutinized. “Ultimately, the Corps controls this process.”
Jewell said folks in Lafourche Parish have been building levees “for pennies on the dollar” compared with the Corps.
Curole, the South Lafourche Levee District official, said the same level of protection “absolutely” could be achieved for less money than the Corps expects to spend. For example, he said levees built with dirt that might not have met Corps standards have proven effective.
Curole compares flood protection with fighting a battle. If you put most of your resources in one place, you’ll get outflanked somewhere else.
“You try to get the best protection you can afford,” he said. “You’ve got to take action to be able to keep your communities intact.”

WILBERT 'WIL' FLOYD DRASH JR.

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:10am

July 20, 1946 – January 19, 2021
Wilbert “Wil” Floyd Drash Jr., age 74, a resident of San Antonio, TX passed away peacefully at the hospital Tuesday, January 19, 2021 with his wife Gloria by his side.
Wil was born on July 20, 1946, in a houseboat on the Atchafalaya River in Morgan City, Louisiana. He was the son of Wilbert Sr. and Mary Drash. His greatest Gift was his family and friends.
Wil lived his life to the fullest. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather (in every sense), friend giver, prankster, and SANTA.
Wil enjoyed playing golf, riding in the mud drags, doing charity work for lots of organizations with no need of public recognition, being a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints, going to Disney (Goofy was his favorite character, boiling crawfish, and most of all being SANTA.
He loved being with his family and friends. His face would light up when he was with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Wil never knew a stranger. He always welcomed everyone with the biggest smile and a high-five. He had the biggest, caring, sweetest, generous heart and a smile that would light up any room he was in. He will be missed by so many that had the pleasure of knowing him.
Wil is survived by his wife of 36 years, Gloria; son, Rodney (wife Chris) Drash of Pierre Part, Louisiana; daughter, Renee (husband Gerard) Mayon of Morgan City, Louisiana; 7 grandchildren – Coy II, Gerard II, Billy, Shaylin, Raven, Shelbilyn, and Blayne; 5 great-grandchildren – Coy III, Chloe, Drayden, Brayleigh, Charlotte; 7 sisters, 1 brother and numerous nieces and nephews.
Wil was preceded in death by his parents, 1 brother, and mother-in-law.
Wil was in the Army National Guard of Louisiana from October 11, 1963 to August 24, 1971.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Wil’s nme to either of his favorite organizations: visionworkscamps.org (Camp Discovery), Hopehitsharder.com, or Wishforourheroes.org.
A memorial service was held in San Antonio, Texas on February 5, 2021, and a recording of that service may be viewed on Wil’s obituary page at www.PorterLoring.com. The family will receive friends for visitation at Twin City Funeral Home in Morgan City from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, February 20, 2021. A memorial service will begin at 5:00 PM.
Arrangements with:
PORTER LORING MORTUARY NORTH
2102 NORTH LOOP 1604 EAST
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78232 – (210) 495-8221