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Judy Becnel DeGravelle, 76, a native of Franklin, former resident of Covington and longtime resident of Thibodaux passed away on Friday, January 26, 2018.
A visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, January 28th at Thibodaux Funeral Home with the rosary at 7pm. Visitation will resume on Monday, January 29th from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. John Catholic Church in Thibodaux with a mass at 11am. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery.
Judy is survived by her husband of 52 years, Cam DeGravelle, their children, Debbie (Gary) Pickell, Brian DeGravelle, Eric (Alyce) DeGravelle, Craig (Crissy) DeGravelle, and Cindy (Scott) Dwyer. Also her grandchildren Josh and Claudia Pickell; Grant, Olivia and Sarah DeGravelle; Caroline, Laura and Camille DeGravelle; Sean, Colin and Morgan Dwyer.
Judy was preceded in death by her parents John and Lucille Lyons Becnel of Franklin along with her baby sister Debbie and her Brother Mike Becnel.
She was a devoted wife, mother and a real special Momsy (Grandmother) to her 11 grandchildren.
Judy was an active member of St. John Catholic Church for 43 years.
She was a 1959 graduate of St. John High Academy in Franklin and a telephone operator for South Central Bell of Franklin in the 1960’S.
The family would like to thank those doctors that gave her such good and loving care and also to the nurses and staff of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center for their attention and loving care which she received as she struggled with her lung cancer.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Genevieve Catholic School and Edward Douglas White Catholic High School.

Sheriff Scott Anslum announced the Deputy of the Quarter for the third quarter of 2017. Uniformed Patrol Section Corporal Dustin Crabtree received the award from Anslum at St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Franklin. The Deputy of the Quarter Award is presented to an employee of the St. Mary Sheriff’s Office who exemplifies a high standard of excellence in law enforcement. Crabtree was commended for his meticulous and successful case work from gathering evidence and report-writing, to following up on cases with victims, identifying suspects and making arrests. In late 2017, Crabtree responded to a report of recovered property related to a burglary case. Although the call came in at the end of his shift, Crabtree proceeded to catalog each piece of evidence all while explaining the steps with enthusiasm to a juvenile on scene who had expressed an interest in the forensic work. Sheriff Anslum presented Crabtree with the award certificate and a department challenge coin.

Franklin Police Chief Sabria McGuire reported on the effectiveness of the city’s Safe Zones Tuesday at the Franklin City Council meeting at City Hall.
“The kids don’t use them,” McGuire said of the several citywide designated transaction security areas. “I don’t know how to get it out to them how important they are and what kind of things can happen [without them].”
McGuire again pointed toward the Judicial Reform Act as a particular safety concern, its having sanctioned the release of dozens of offenders into the parish, through the early terminations of their original sentences.
Further illustrating the unappreciated danger, she recounted a recent incident in which her officers foiled a would-be car burglary in an area of the city where kids are frequently seen at leisure.
“But in that area, kids feel trust,” she explained. “So if kids were selling a cell phone, they might meet up at someone’s house, there. They just don’t understand.”
McGuire went on to say that parents are aware of the Safe Zones and use them for ferrying their children to and from transactions, and that Chez Hope has become, by proxy, a successful Safe Zone in that regard.
“They [parents] used to use McDonald’s in different areas. But, they are using that Safe Zone [Chez Hope] and the police station. That helps us to avoid bad situations happening. So, that message has gotten out— that between Chez Hope and us, there’s a safe place for parental exchange.
“So, we have a lot of adults who come and utilize it, but the children don’t.”
McGuire suggested that a campaign of awareness, to inform kids of Safe Zones, may be helpful, perhaps in the form of a mandatory school assembly.
To which, it was unofficially agreed among the mayor and councilmembers, that addressing student awareness through informative school assemblies was an advantageous approach to the issue.
Subsequent to McGuire’s report, Franklin Water Plant Manager Granderson Hamilton reported to the council that a faulty water level transmitter was to blame for the water system malfunction that left the city without water for the better part of the day of Dec. 21. However, it was also explained that a new transmitter replaced the faulty one that same day, and that the system was back to being fully operational by that afternoon.
In addition to the reports from McGuire and Hamilton, an ordinance was introduced to authorize the issuance of $1,880,000 of taxable limited tax bonds to pay for the execution of a loan with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality for use in the renovation of the city’s sewer plant. As well as, a resolution was later passed to apply to the State Bond Commission for approval of the issuance of said bonds.
In other news:
—A resolution was passed authorizing Mayor Raymond Harris to negotiate a lease contract to purchase one Saber Pumper Fire Truck and one Encore Rescue Fire Truck.
—It was announced that Chez Hope will hold a vigil to raise awareness of teen dating violence, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. at Franklin Senior High School, in the parking lot, near the flagpole.
—Keep St. Mary Beautiful will hold a city-wide clean-up Feb. 10, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., beginning at Stage Parking Lot.
—Summer Arts Program Registration will be held Feb. 5 through March 30 at City Hall; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday. Registration fee for the art program is $20 per course; dance program is $20 per person.

Former St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert received the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce’s Virgina Tyler Guillotte Award Thursday night at the chamber’s annual award banquet and officer installation.
Hebert accepted the award with humility and deep emotion, saying, “I just want to tell you how honored and deeply humbled I feel to be the recipient of this prestigious award.
“I would like to thank the people of St. Mary Parish for the great joy that’s been given to me in the last 34 and-a-half years of service to the Sheriff’s Office. It’s been a career that I have deeply enjoyed.”
Hebert continued, “I thank you for the honor and privilege of your support and your confidence in the last six years of serving as your sheriff, which is something, which I cannot express the great joy of being able to do.
“The inspiration of my life, who gave me the strength to see the good in the things that could be done in this parish, that such great things can come out of tragedy, that if you look deep enough and try hard enough, you can bring hope where there is disparity, that in law enforcement it’s not all about doing the rough thing and being the bad guy, and things like that. You can help a lot of people, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people and many families that have gone through a lot of crises, but not without the strength and the support of my wife. She was my everything. She made me whole, and I thank her for giving me the courage to do this, and the support.
“I’ve enjoyed my service, and though I’m retired I intend to stay involved in the parish and stay committed to the things that make St. Mary Parish safe, and a great place.
“Again, thank you for your support and confidence through the years. Thank you.”