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In Loving Memory Of
RUBY MAE SANDERS KELLY
January 2, 1932 – May 14, 2018
Ruby Mae Sanders Kelly, a native of Keel Boat Pass and longtime resident of St. Mary Parish passed away supported hand-in-hand by her loving family at the age of 86 on Monday, May 14, 2018.
She was a very strong-willed woman that lived a full life, her way. Ruby was born on January 2, 1932 in Grand River Flats to Elnora Pissarella Sanders and Joseph H. Sanders. She was a devoted mother of eight, doting grandmother and proud great grandmother and great-great grandmother. She actively lent her hand and heart in raising her grandbabies. Through the generations she basked in their accomplishments and enjoyed seeing her family grow as they had children of their own.
She is survived by her seven children: Lois Kelly Pearce, Cheryl Clines and her husband James, Harold J. Kelly and his wife Kim, Dariel J. Kelly, Carolyn Kelly, Nenia Albo; Paula Migues and her husband Cory; one brother Bobby Elridge “Pete” Sanders; adoring grandchildren: Denisa, Rodney, Mona, Nona, Joseph, Cherie, Jay, Jordan, Jahleel, Kane, Bobby, Cody, Amber, William, Benjamin, Kellie, Melissa, Joey, Nenia, Jason; numerous great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces and nephews; and one four-legged fur baby Molly.
She was preceded in death by her devoted husband of sixty-eight years Harold Kelly, her eldest child Martha Kelly Gilchrist, Martha’s eldest child Hubert Gilchrist, Jr.; her parents Joseph H. Sanders and Elnora Pissarella Sanders, her brothers Arthur Joseph Sanders, Archelle Junius Sanders and one sister Annie Odette Sanders.
Serving as pallbearers will be Harold J. Kelly, Dariel J. Kelly, Rodney Gilchrist, Joseph Gilchrist, Joey Albo, Jason Albo, Cody Kelly, Kane Rawson and Cory Migues.
Funeral services have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary in Franklin and will commence Thursday, May 17, 2018 from 6 pm to 9 pm. A gathering of family and friends will follow at Ibert’s Mortuary on Friday, May 18, 2018 from 10 am until time of service at 2 pm which will be officiated by Mr. Bart Boone. She will be laid to eternal rest with her husband Harold Kelly at Franklin Cemetery.
Family and friends may express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com. Arrangements are in care of Mr. Scott Pellerin, Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc. 1007 Main Street, Franklin, La. 70538, (337) 828-5426.

Centenarian Dorothy Mae Dennis Guienze Butler, 107, the oldest resident of St. Mary Parish, a resident of Franklin, La., and native of Glencoe, La., passed away at the Franklin Foundation Hospital on Monday, May 7, 2018 at 5:05 a.m.
Visitation will be observed on Friday, May 18, 2018 at Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church, 1110 Barrow St., Franklin, La., from 8 a.m. until the beginning of the Fraternal Order of the Eastern Star services beginning at 10:30 a.m. A Celebration of the life of Mother Dorothy D. Butler will begin at 12 noon, with Pastor Allen Randle officiating the services. Burial will follow funeral services in the Franklin Cemetery, Main Street in Franklin, La.
“On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross. The emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown”
MOTHER DOROTHY MAE DENNIS
GUIENZE BUTLER
1911 - 2018
Dorothy Mae Guienze Butler, the former Dorothy Mae Dennis, was born in Glencoe, Louisiana on March 16, 1911. She was the youngest of three children born to the union of John and Martha Dennis.
Dorothy was educated in St. Mary Parish, attending schools in the Glencoe, Baldwin and Franklin areas. Dorothy’s spiritual journey began at the age of four when she accepted Jesus Christ. As she matured, Jesus became the Lord of her life. At age 17, she married Clarence Guienze and to this union, two children, Clarence John Guienze and the former LaVera Guienze, were born. After the death of her husband, Clarence in 1974, Dorothy later married Henry Butler in 1987.
Dorothy epitomized the qualities of the Virtuous Woman, as described in Proverbs 31. “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring praise at the gates.” Proverbs 31:29-31. Dorothy’s son Clarence lives with his wife Sharron in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. When he graduated from high school, she took a second job doing laundry so that he could become the family’s first college graduate. He went on to a rewarding career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Corrections in the State of Maryland. Her daughter, LaVera, became Franklin, Louisiana’s first black female police officer. The successes that her many descendants now enjoy are the direct result of Dorothy’s lifetime of selfless giving.
Dorothy, herself, studied to apply her gentle, compassionate and caring nature to a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She completed her clinical training at Franklin Foundation Hospital, and spent countless hours at patients’ bedsides, holding hands and providing comfort – even in the moment of death. For most of her adult life, Dorothy resided at 310 Second Street in Franklin, Louisiana. From 2006 until the time of her demise, she was a resident at the Franklin Health Care Center.
Dorothy was a member of the Ada Chapter #20 OES PHA for many years and received many awards for her service to her church and community. They include serving as one of the founding Broussard-Harris Recreation Park Board Committee members and President of Resident Council for years at Franklin Health Care Center. It was wonderful to just be in her presence. When we look at her family and friends, we can truly see that they are beneficiaries of the love that God placed in her heart. For most of her adult life, she was a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church and later became a member of Lighthouse Missionary Baptist Church where she had the honor of serving as the “Mother of the Church”. Her favorite bible verse was “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. Dorothy’s favorite hymn was The Old Rugged Cross, which she sang throughout life with a beautiful contralto voice. Dorothy also enjoyed sewing, crocheting and cooking.
“Mother Butler,” “Grandma”, “Gay-gam”, as she was known to many, departed Earth on May 7, 2018 at 5:05 a.m. at the age of 107 following a brief illness at Franklin Foundation Hospital. On that morning, she exchanged that old rugged cross, she would often sing about, for her new crown which the Lord had prepared just for her. Dorothy was the oldest resident of St. Mary Parish. She lived to see six generations of her very own family. In Mother Butler’s time, she experienced many things. In 1955, the Civil Rights Movement; in 1964, the passing of the Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination of all kind; in 1965, having the opportunity to vote and one of her greatest joys was in 2008 when she was to be able to cast her vote for the first African-American President, President Barack Obama.
Memories of this admiring, spiritual, kind, and gentle woman will forever remain in the hearts of her son, Clarence John Guienze and his wife, Sharron ; two adopted sons, Freddie Charles Guienze, a skilled mechanic, and Danny Bonit, a carpenter; four grandchildren, Calvin Brent Jr., Dorothy Evelyn Lewis, Guienzy Marie Brent - her principal care provider who attended to her daily, Regina Guienze Tinti; a step-grandson, Stephen Michael Franklin and a special grandson, Michael Hamilton, who held her hand as she transitioned peacefully. Her legacy of love will forever live in the lives of a host of other descendants which include her great, great-great and great-great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, her Lighthouse Church family, the residents of the Franklin Healthcare Center and many friends.
She was preceded in death by her two husbands, Clarence Guienze and Henry Butler; a daughter, LaVera G. Brent; a great-granddaughter, Lashawn Terrell Brent; her parents, John and Martha Dennis; a sister, Sarah Dennis Foster; a brother, Joshua Dennis; a step grandson, William Reed Smith Guienze; a niece, Dawn Dennis, and a son-in-Law, Calvin Brent Sr.; grandson-in-law, Dudley Lewis.
As one who loved and trusted in the Lord Jesus, Dorothy would want her family and friends to know that she believed the promise of God’s Word, which says: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Some recent editorials and news stories have falsely characterized regulatory review efforts currently underway at the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, apparently without having actually read the proposed revisions. One editorial in the Houston Chronicle expressed worries that many, including the U.S. Government and our agency, commonly referred to as BSEE, might have forgotten the lessons of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy and other offshore incidents. For the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement nothing could be further from the truth.

What happened on the Deepwater Horizon and to the Macondo well greatly harmed my home state of Louisiana, claimed the lives of 11 offshore workers and caused sustained, lifelong injuries that continue to impact others who were aboard that day, and will never be forgotten. The regulatory reaction to this event was put in place long ago, beginning in 2010 and through 2012.  The editorial in the Houston Chronicle fails to mention that BSEE is not proposing any changes to the rules enacted in the immediate aftermath of Deepwater Horizon: The Drilling Safety Rule and the Safety and Environmental Management Systems Rules (commonly called SEMS I and SEMS II).  

Regulation will always have an important role to play in our society, but it should never be the case that once a regulation is written it is beyond review. Well-intentioned regulations sometimes turn out to be overly burdensome or ineffective. Periodically reviewing regulations is nothing new and is something previous administrations have done.

The revisions our agency proposed recently are a set of changes to the 2016 Well Control Rule. This rule was not put in place during the aftermath of Deepwater Horizon; it was promulgated in the final year of the Obama Administration, six years after the Deepwater Horizon incident. We found that much of the Well Control Rule contains common-sense provisions – which we are leaving untouched – but some provisions were pushed through over strong, common-sense objections and concerns voiced during the public comment period.

Our regulatory review process was conducted logically by BSEE’s career federal employees. Many of the employees who worked on the rule review were with the agency at the time of the Deepwater Horizon incident and are committed to safety.

Our mandate was simple: establish regulatory certainty for offshore activities that is consistent with safe and responsible development of America’s offshore natural resources in line with principles of sound public stewardship. To fulfill this mandate we were guided by the adage, “use a scalpel, not a chainsaw.” After a careful review of the Well Control Rule’s 342 provisions, the BSEE team of career engineers and regulatory specialists proposed revisions for less than 18 percent of them.

The BSEE team then compared each of the changes they proposed to the 424 recommendations arising from the 26 separate reports from 14 different organizations developed in the wake of – and in response to – the Deepwater Horizon incident.  This required 78,440 separate and specific analyses. After careful analysis, the team determined that none of the proposed rule changes would ignore or contradict any of those recommendations, or alter any provision of the 2016 Well Control Rule in a way that would make the result inconsistent with those recommendations.

We have now entered the next phase of the regulatory review process, one where we invite public comment and dialogue. Our goal is to provide America with smart regulations that ensure safe exploration for America’s energy future, and we are optimistic the public comment period will further help us reach that goal.

Energy is vital to our way of life. In addition to helping to fuel America, the royalties and other revenues from offshore oil and gas contributed over $2 billion to the U.S. Treasury last year. These revenues support our national parks, our wildlife refuges, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and other critical programs. The 300,000 plus jobs tied to the offshore make a lot of things possible; they support families, and provide revenues for teachers, schools, libraries, and police departments.

I am on record as having said, “We must NEVER have another Deepwater Horizon or anything close to it.” I come to work every day with the lessons of that tragedy in mind. The lessons are ingrained in BSEE’s commitment to continuously work for safe and responsible operations offshore. We owe this to the men and women who each day put on their hard hats and steel toe boots, and kiss their families good-bye to do the hard work necessary to fuel America.

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U.S 90. on the Atchafalaya River, Bayou Ramos and Bayou Boeuf bridges will have alternating lane closures in the east and west directions Sunday to allow crews to pick up debris from the shoulders of the bridge, a state Department of Transportation and Development news release said.

This work is estimated to take place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. All permit and oversize loads along with emergency vehicles will be allowed to pass. There are no detours.