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Charles Easreal Smith, 44, a resident of Lafayette, La. and native of Morgan City, La. passed away on Thursday July 19, 2018 at the Camelot Place in Rayne, La.
Memorial Services will be held on Saturday August 4, 2018 at the Siracusaville Recreation Center, 1110 Grace Street, Morgan City, La. at 11 a.m.
Memories of Charles, will forever remain in the hearts of his loving wife, Kimberly R. Smith of Lafayette, La.; his five children, DeAnn (Alex Bruce) Rowan, Ashley Rowan, James Wade-Smith, McKeem Wade of Lafayette, La.; one grandson and the apple of his eye, seven brothers, Charles Williams of Franklin, Micheal Johnson of Jacksonville, FL, Otis Williams of Bayou Vista, La., Allen Hayden of New Orleans, La., Steven Hayden of Baton Rouge, La., Elder Antoine Williams of Kansas City KS; two sisters Mrs. Gerald (Sharon Smith) Jones Sr. of Morgan City, La. and Mrs. Clayton (Denise) Nolan of Bayou Vista, La. and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, a step-mother, his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City-Franklin-Jeanerette-Houma in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

Artists and Appetizers will be held at the City Park Recreation Center (500 Shine Forquier Drive, Franklin) Saturday, Aug. 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
According to Mayor Eugene Foulcard, Artists and Appetizers is the perfect time to get your gifts and to support our local talent. “If you’re not one to procrastinate, you can begin your Christmas shopping by supporting our local and regional artists and authors,” Mayor Foulcard said.
All artists and attendees are asked to wear white and/or black. Refreshments will be served, and there will be entertainment by JB Saax.
Also volunteers are needed to record the paddlers’ times and to assist them with their vessels during Tour du Teche. The deadline to become a volunteer and receive a t-shirt is Friday, Aug. 24.
Each shift is only two hours; the first one begins at 4 p.m.
The 135-mile race has a layover in Franklin Saturday, Oct. 6 Paddlers begin arriving around 5 p.m., and the deadline for paddlers to finish the race is midnight.
For more information on both these vents, contact the Community Development Department at 337-828-6345 or at ashields@franklin-la.com. For the paddle race, provide your name, contact information, two-hour shift preference and t-shirt size.

Showing commitment, being tough and caring about one’s teammates are some key qualities to having a successful basketball team, but they’re also important in everyday life, LSU men’s basketball head coach Will Wade said Tuesday.

Wade was guest speaker during a St. Mary Outreach fundraiser at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City. The event also included dinner and a silent auction.

St. Mary Outreach is a nonprofit, emergency service agency that assists those in need in the area with a food pantry, clothing closet, hygiene and cleaning supplies, baby diapers and formula, adult diapers, rental and utility assistance, along with life-sustaining medications when funding is available, its website says.

Wade is entering his second year as head coach of the LSU men’s basketball team having previously been a head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

He described the culture he tries to create with his team and how that culture goes beyond the basketball court.

Wade expects his players to be aggressive, committed, appreciative, care about their teammates, display leadership and show attention to detail.

Every month, Wade meets with each of his players for 15 minutes, and they’re not allowed to talk about basketball during that time.

During the first month he meets with them, he always gives his players a pen, paper and an envelope. He then tells them to handwrite a note of appreciation to someone who helped them in their lives. That person has to be an individual a player hasn’t spoken to in at least five years.

His players are always amazed at the response to those letters the next month and the impact that simple gesture can have, Wade said.

The team strives to be committed to one another, Louisiana and “something bigger than ourselves,” he said.

Wade’s LSU team came up with four attributes that the players want others to see in them. First, they want to be tough.

“This is my definition of toughness. When the chips are down, you do your best work. When things look bad … that’s when you do your best work,” he said.

Secondly, the team wants to be consistent.

“Never bet against consistent behavior,” Wade said. “The best people in your life, basketball, life, whatever, are the most consistent people.”

Thirdly, the team wants to be smart and make smart decisions on and off the court.

The final thing the players strive to be is a family.

“We want guys who are playing for each other, guys who care about each other,” Wade said.

The best moment of LSU’s 2017-18 season, for Wade, came during the final regular season home game against Mississippi State on senior night. Senior Reed Vial was a walk-on who had rarely played in his career.

One of LSU’s starters came to Wade and told the coach that he wanted Vial to start in his place.

So Wade started Vial, but the most memorable moment was late in the game when LSU already had a big lead.

“He came in at the end and buried a three. And after he buried the three, he ran back down the court, and the game was over. And our team went and swarmed him,” Wade said.

“That showed our team cared about him. That showed our team respected him. We had a family. Our team appreciated what he had done,” Wade said.

Wade summed up his team’s mentality and work ethic by saying they act every day “like we’re in double overtime in the SEC title game.”

The Patterson 12U Babe Ruth All-Stars opened the first day of pool play Monday at the Babe Ruth World Series in Jensen Beach, Florida, with a 6-1 win over Kentucky-based Jeffersontown All-Stars, the Ohio Valley Regional champion.
Jeffersontown finished the game with four hits and two errors, while Patterson had seven hits and no errors.
Patterson got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning at Pineapple Park. The score remained the same until the third inning when Jeffersontown narrowed Patterson’s lead to 3-1. Patterson, the home team, then answered with three runs in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 6-1. That would end up being the final score. Neither team scored in the fifth inning, and Jeffersontown couldn’t manage any runs in the top of the sixth.
Amaya Williams, Laila Dugar and Kamille Lightfoot led Patterson at the plate Monday. Williams went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI. Dugar was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Lightfoot went 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and a walk.
Also at the plate, Ella Hover went 1-for-3 with a run. Bryleigh DeHart and Ryleigh Chaisson were each 1-for-3. Hannah Domingue and Charlotte Callais each scored a run.
On the mound, Dugar pitched a complete game going six innings and giving up one run on four hits. She struck out three and walked three.
Pool play continues through Wednesday. Patterson, the defending World Series champion, is set to face Treasure Coast Athletic Association Wildcats of Jensen Beach, Florida, at noon Tuesday. On Wednesday, Patterson will play Indiana-based East Side All-Stars at 8 a.m. followed by a noon contest against North Carolina-based Super Optimist All-Stars.
Patterson began World Series play Sunday with an 8-4 win in a four-inning warm-up game against North Carolina-based Dare County All-Stars.
Bracket play begins Thursday and concludes Saturday with champions in each being crowned. The top eight seeds will play in the World Series bracket, while the remaining teams will square off in the Diamond Bracket.
Patterson won both the Louisiana and Southwest Region titles and hasn’t lost a Babe Ruth game since July 6, 2017, when it fell to Jefferson Parish Recreation Department East, 5-1, in the Southwest Region Tournament.
Other 12U participants in the World Series are a team from China; Florida state champion Winter Park Wildcats; Missouri-based Boonville All-Stars, the Midwest Plains Regional champion; Massachusetts-based Pittsfield All-Stars, the New England Regional champs; New Jersey-based Mount Olive All-Stars, the Mid Atlantic Regional champion; Washington-based Ellensburg All-Stars, the Pacific Northwest Regional champs; Virginia-based Rockville All-Stars, an invitational qualifier; and California-based Los Altos All-Stars, the Pacific Southwest Regional champs.