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BART JOSEPH THIBODEAUX SR.

December 5, 1946 — September 27, 2017

Funeral services for Bart Joseph Thibodeaux Sr. will be held Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Patterson during an 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial. Following the Mass, he will be laid to rest in St. Joseph Cemetery Mausoleum. Father Angelo Cremaldi will be the
Celebrant for the Mass and conduct the services. Musical selections will be sung by Mr. Thibodeaux’s granddaughter, Ashlyn Dupre, accompanied by organist Lee LeBlanc. Serving as pallbearers will be Kurt Dupre, Doug Upperman, Robin Fabre, Wallace Ackman, Alton Hue, Michael Clayton and Corey Marcel.

A gathering of family and friends will be held Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, at Ibert’s Mortuary in Patterson from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., with the Holy Rosary being prayed at 7 p.m., led by Jamie Guidry and Ashlyn Dupre. Visitations will continue Monday morning at St. Joseph Catholic Church beginning at 9 a.m.

Bart was born in Thibodaux on Dec. 5, 1946, the second of five children born to Lawrence and Shirley Thibodeaux. He spent his early years in Chacahoula, was a former resident of Berwick and has resided in Bayou Vista for the past 13 years. He left this earthly life in the late evening hours of Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, at the age of 70 following a lengthy battle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Those he leaves to cherish his memory include his wife of 53 years, Debbie Fabre Thibodeaux; their three children, Darlene T. Dupre and her husband Kurt, Teidi T. Upperman and her husband Doug, and Bart Joseph Thibodeaux Jr. and his wife Angela; seven grandchildren, Layne Dupre and his wife Brittany, Ashlyn Dupre, Clinton Upperman and his wife Rebekah, Hannah U. Oldfather and her husband Jaret, Patrick Thibodeaux, Megan T. Rock and her husband Brett, and Heather Thibodeaux; seven great-grandchildren, Caroline Rose Dupre, Alex and Aiden Upperman, Brooklynn Upperman, Jolie Oldfather, Paisley Thibodeaux and Branson Thibodeaux; mother-in-law, Georgia A. Peltier; and four sisters, Deanna T. Sampey, Nancy T. Marcel, Trudy T. Meyers and Kim T. Breaux.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence Joseph Thibodeaux Jr. and Shirley Rita Aycock Thibodeaux.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Mr. Bart’s name to either Notre Dame Hospice, 1000 Howard Ave., 10th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70113, 985-847-0174, or the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Second Harvest Food Bank, 7887 Walmsley Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125, 855-392-9338.

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.

AGUSTA STEWART JACKSON

Agusta Stewart Jackson, 71, a native of Terrebonne Parish and a resident of Gibson, died Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. Saturday, at New Vision Family Worship Center in Houma. Burial will follow in Southdown Cemetery.

She is survived by three sons, John Garrett of Atlanta, Carmelia Garrett of Houma, and Victor Jackson; three daughters, Cassandra Garrett of North Carolina, Julie Bennett of Berwick and Denise Givens of Morgan City; three sisters, Larender Smith of Baton Rouge, Annie Stewart of Gibson, and Delphine Short of Houma; and a host of other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her husband, daughter, parents, four brothers, three sisters and three sons.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Circus is coming to Patterson

The Carson & Barnes Circus comes to Patterson Oct. 4-5, offering what the company says may be the last opportunity to see elephants at a circus.

There will be four performances, at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day at Kemper Williams Park. Discount Tickets are available online at www.bigtopshow.com.

In addition to the Asian elephants, he circus will also feature Circus Saurus. The circus says the big top will come alive with long-extinct dinosaurs. Tyrannosaureses, deinoychus, woolly mammoths and Asian elephants will come together “to enchant and captivate hearts of all ages.”

Jim Bradshaw: Admirers of the Teche have a long history

On the first Friday of each October, pirogues, canoes and kayaks of every description crowd the headwaters of Bayou Teche for the beginning of a 135-mile, three-day race down the bayou almost to the Gulf.

Some of the fastest boats and sturdiest paddlers from around the world will be among them, competing for cash prizes.

There will also be more than a handful of participants who are challenging only themselves and their ability to paddle that far in three days (or for their pirogue to make it without sinking).

The race was first staged in 2010 with the dual purpose of showing local people the potential of the bayou and of introducing the beauty of the Teche country to paddlers and eco-tourists from the outside world.

That second goal is the easy one.

Visitors have proclaimed the beauties of the bayou since they first discovered it.

Longfellow described it as a stream “o’ershadowed by oaks, from whose branches garlands of Spanish moss and of mystic mistletoe flaunted,” and that seems to be a recurring theme among others who have written about it.

In the spring of 1849, publisher William Dennett of the Franklin Planters’ Banner described its “venerable oaks whose giant arms stretch far over the still waters … their foliage ever green, and their locks of hanging, waving moss reminding one that these fathers of the forest have stood here for centuries.”

In the late fall of 1888, a student at St. Katharine’s College, a school run by the Sisters of Mercy in New Orleans, wrote in the school newspaper about a visit to the area.

The order had established a school in St. Martinville in 1881, and the student, identified only by the initials A.M.M., was “perfectly charmed” by St. Martinville and the bayou.

“Six hours ride from New Orleans … [is] a beautiful village lying on both sides of the Bayou Teche,” A.M.M. wrote, claiming a pen “too feeble” to adequately describe the beauty of the scenery.

“I once fancied that no landscape could be pretty without hills in the distance,” the account began, “but this beautiful Teche and the level plains of Louisiana have led me to change my opinion. When I see the beautiful green sloping to the water’s edge; majestic oaks hung with gray moss, and the lovely foliage, I forget the mountains, and give my heart up to the full enjoyment of the paradise around me.”

Small-town St. Martinville couldn’t match the “fine buildings” of New Orleans, A.M.M. continued, “but as it has been [so] well treated by Nature it needs not much of the artificial.

“The sugar plantations which surround this place are very fine. Miles and miles are covered with the green, corn-like leaves of the young cane, … In the midst of the cane fields are the high brick walls of the sugar houses where the cane is ground and goes through its various processes, from, molasses to the finest white sugar.”

In St. Martinville, “a grand old oak” shaded the Sisters of Mercy convent, and, A.M.M. recorded, “I sat under it several times, and when leaving took a few leaves as souvenirs, because I heard it was the tree under which ‘Evangeline’ stood.”

Aside from the beauty of the place, A.M.M. was attracted by the “exceedingly kind and hospitable” people of the Teche country — another aspect of the place that has been remarked upon regularly over the years.

“I often think of the sweet gentle friends I made and their kindness to me during my short stay in the ‘Eden of Louisiana,’” A.M.M. wrote 130 years ago

Visitors for the 2017 Tour du Teche will likely find Bayou Teche and the people who live close to it equally memorable.

A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Sheriff: Two arrested after multiple drugs found in home

Two Berwick men were booked on drug charges after authorities located crystal meth, steroids, Xanax pills, marijuana and drug paraphernalia at their home, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert said in a news release.

—Michael Sweetser Jr., 34, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 4:38 p.m. Thursday on charges of improper lane usage, brake lights required, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of Xanax with intent to distribute, possession of steroids, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor.

—Clyde Broussard, 44, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 4:38 p.m. Thursday on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of Xanax with intent to distribute, transactions involving drug proceeds, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and on a warrant from Crowley City Court for failure to appear on the charges of driving with a suspended license.

Narcotics Section detectives, Berwick police officers and Morgan City police detectives conducted a search warrant at Sweetser’s and Broussard’s home, Hebert said.

While en route to the location, detectives observed Sweetser driving across the center line of the roadway with only one functioning tail light. Sweetser stopped the vehicle at his home, Hebert said.

Detectives detained him pending the investigation and located a bag of crystal methamphetamine on him, Hebert said. Sweetser was in possession of the illegal drug while driving with a small child in the vehicle. During the execution of the search warrant, detectives detained Broussard, who was in the home, and located five bags of crystal methamphetamine, a bag of marijuana, over 100 Xanax pills, vials of steroids, digital scales and other drug paraphernalia, the sheriff said.

Detectives collected evidence that Sweetser and Broussard were selling drugs from the home. Broussard was found to be in possession of $273 cash suspected of being derived from illicit drug sales, Hebert said. Narcotics detectives estimate the street value of the crystal methamphetamine to be about $10,000.

Both suspects were transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. No bail is set for Sweetser. Broussard’s bail is set at $85,000.

Hebert reported responding to 31 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrest in east St. Mary Parish:

—Gerard Staub Jr., 73, of Rue Chene in Ponchatoula, was arrested at 1:14 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with simple battery.

The warrant stems from an investigation into a Sept. 9 alleged battery in the Patterson area. A deputy collected evidence that Staub pushed a male victim, causing the victim to fall to the ground, Hebert said. Staub turned himself in at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in Morgan City. He was released on a summons to appear in court Dec. 1.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported responding to 49 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Timothy Collier, 18, of Honey Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:57 a.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear for arraignment. Collier was located and arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. Collier was jailed.

—Therina L. Russell, 42, of Duke Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:03 p.m. Thursday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated.

Officers responded to the area of La. 70 in regard to a suspicious person. Police arrived, and Russell was identified as the person in question, Blair said. Russell was found to be in an intoxicated state. Russell was jailed.

—Sidney L. Wainwright, 21, of Third Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:25 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for contempt of court. Wainwright was located and arrested at the police department on a warrant. Wainwright was jailed.

—Leanna R. Gresco, 26, of La. 70 in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:07 p.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear to pay fine. Gresco was located and arrested in the area of U.S. 90 on a city court warrant. Gresco was jailed.

—Joel Claudio-Deleon, 40, of Grizzaffi Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:34 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear for arraignment.

Claudio-Deleon was located and arrested in the area of La. 182 on an active warrant held by the 16th Judicial District Court. Claudio-Deleon was jailed.

—Myles Morgan, 29, of Front Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 11:11 p.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear to pay a probation fee. Morgan was located and arrested at the police department on a city court warrant. Morgan was jailed.

—Gregory Carbins, 68, of Bernice Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:41 a.m. Friday on a warrant charging him with theft.

Carbins was located and arrested at the Morgan City Police Department on a warrant for the Chitimacha Police Department. Carbins was jailed.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.

Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.

Night Out Against Crime is Sunday

The Morgan City Police Department with Doric 87 Free & Accepted Masons will host its fifth annual Night Out Against Crime 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Lawrence Park. Other law enforcement agencies such as the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, Morgan City Fire Department, the Louisiana fire marshal, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard will be out to interact with the community. The event will also consist of food, drinks, games, fun jumps, prizes, the Morgan City Petting Zoo and music provided by The Don Rich Band. The Berwick Police Department, in conjunction with the Berwick Housing Authority, will host its National Night Out Against Crime 5-8 p.m. Oct. 3 starting at the police department with a parade.

Radio Logs for September 29

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Thursday, Sept. 28
7:12 a.m. 1000 block of Sycamore Street; Theft.
8:12 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Medical.
8:53 a.m. 1200 block of Brashear Avenue; Alarm.
9 a.m. 400 block of Louisa Street; Assistance.
9:32 a.m. 300 block of Wren Street; Alarm.
9:48 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
10:20 a.m. 7800 block of La. 182; Suspicious vehicle.
10:58 a.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Assistance.
11:37 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Removal of subject.
11:56 a.m. 1100 block of McDermott Drive; Criminal damage to property.
12:28 p.m. 800 block of Fourth Street; Suspicious person.
2:26 p.m. 200 block of Chennault Street; Theft.
3:04 p.m. 500 block of Duke Street; Frequent patrols.
3:36 p.m. 1200 block of Spruce Street; Complaint.
3:44 p.m. 1000 block of Marguerite Street; Officer stand by.
4:41 p.m. 700 block of Greenwood Street; Alarm.
4:52 p.m. 200 block of Onstead Street; Reckless driving.
5:11 p.m. Mallard and Canary streets; Accident.
6:22 p.m. Sixth and Poplar streets; Suspicious subject.
6:42 p.m. 500 block of Belanger Street; Welfare concern.
6:52 p.m. 400 block of Laurel Street; Complaint.
7:02 p.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Telephone harassment.
7:37 p.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Warrant.
8:07 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Arrest.
8:26 p.m. 300 block of Second Street; Complaint.
8:51 p.m. 1500 block of Chestnut Drive; Juvenile problem.
9:41 p.m. Karen Street and Chestnut Drive; Juvenile problem.
9:50 p.m. 200 block of Wren Street; Juvenile problem.
10:10 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Complaint.
10:58 p.m. 1200 block of Kenneth Street; Alarm.
11:47 p.m. 1000 block of McDermott Drive; Lost and found.
Friday, Sept. 29
12:54 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Complaint.
12:58 a.m. 600 block of Terrebonne Street; Complaint.
1:24 a.m. 1500 block of Bernice Street; Arrest.
1:40 a.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Animal complaint.
1:44 a.m. 2400 block of Pecan Street; Loud music.
1:52 a.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard; Removal of subject.
4:39 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.

CPRA provides $2.7 million for La. 70 levee project

Work to raise a stretch of La. 70 by Lake End Park and tie the highway into Morgan City’s levee system will soon begin. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is providing $2.7 million toward engineering, design and construction costs, according to a news release.

St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity Drainage District 2 awarded the $2.7 million construction contract to Barriere Construction of Metairie, and work is expected to begin in October, the release said. This segment is part of the $18 million Morgan City Levee Improvements Project to raise city levees and certify them for 100-year storm surge protection.

Completion of the entire levee project and subsequent certification of the levees will allow Morgan City property owners to avoid potentially huge increases in flood insurance premiums.

This effort is part of the parish master plan for comprehensive improvements to the Morgan City levee system to provide a 100-year level of flood protection, and is consistent with CPRA’s Coastal Master Plan goals and principles, the release said.

“CPRA is pleased to provide funding to St. Mary Parish in support of continued work necessary to achieve 100-year level of flood protection,” CPRA Chairman Johnny Bradberry said in the release. “When we combine efforts and resources, great things happen.”

In collaboration with the St. Mary Parish Government and the St. Mary Levee District, St. Mary Consolidated Gravity Drainage District 2 is managing this project to increase protection and sustainability by adding elevation to a half-mile stretch of land beneath the road bed of La. 70, an important evacuation route that serves as a levee near Lake End Park, the release said.

Located at the southern end of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway, St. Mary Parish is in danger of inundation when water is diverted into the basin to relieve pressure on Mississippi River levees. Additionally, storm water runoffs from the Atchafalaya and Lake Verret basins, as well as storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, pose a risk to people, property and industry, the release said.

“I’m proud of the cooperation and teamwork of the parish, the levee district, the drainage district and the state CPRA,” Parish President David Hanagriff said in the release. “This is a model for how, working together, we can get things done.”

CPRA is working with St. Mary Parish Consolidated Gravity District 2 on other increments of levee improvement, including currently providing $6.2 million for the engineering, design, and construction of a 2.5-mile levee stretch immediately south of the La. 70 improvement project. The 2.5-mile stretch is now under construction and scheduled for completion next spring.

Officials haven’t yet come up with a plan to provide flood protection for Lakeside Subdivision, which isn’t included in the $18 million cost of the project. With the exception of the Lakeside project and installation of a new pump station by Lake End Park, Drainage District Chairman Lee Dragna expects the rest of the Morgan City levee project to be complete in the second quarter of 2018.

In March, voters approved the drainage district to issue $6.25 million in bonds to help pay for construction of the new pump station.

A Christmas story

MORGAN CITY — First Baptist Church members heard the story of how hope can come from a simple shoebox, when Operation Christmas Child spokeswoman Anabel Rosario Fermin gave her testimony Wednesday.
“God was showing me his faithfulness in a shoebox,” said Fermin, who was a recipient of an Operation Christmas Child shoebox when she was a child.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization, in which volunteers donate gifts and pack the gifts in shoeboxes to be distributed around the world.
“A simple seed can turn into the most beautiful faith,” said Kevin Brown, regional director of the organization, in reference to Fermin.
Fermin, who grew up as a pastor’s daughter and in poverty in the Dominican Republic, received a shoebox when she was 10 years old when she prayed to God to finally give her a gift for Christmas.
“My father always told me God is faithful. So I decided to put God up to a test and I prayed for a gift,” said Fermin.
Fermin didn’t receive a gift for Christmas but during kid’s day at her father’s church in January she received a shoe-box.
“I knew then that God is faithful. He answered my prayer and He still does,” said Fermin.
Fermin said she loved all the items in her box, but what she still re-members the most is the picture and letter that she got from the family that packed her box.
“The only thing I recognized is the word ‘love.’ The letter inspired me to learn the (English) language so that I may one day tell this family thank you,” said Fermin.
Years later, while she was attending college, Fermin’s mother, father and oldest sister were killed in a car crash, which made her question her faith. However, Fermin remembers the teaching of her father that God is faithful. She stayed in college.
Fermin moved to Miami to continue her dream of learning English and eventually joined the evangelistic project in 2015.
Since then, Fermin moved to be with her family in Seattle and got married. She currently works as a radio personality but also encourages people to give with Operation Christmas Child since her shoebox pushed her closer to God.
Members of First Baptist Church in Morgan City along with other Morgan City residents and volunteers are working to fill up at least 6,900 shoeboxes to help Operation Christ-mas Child fulfill their goal to pass out 12 million shoeboxes. Residents can drop off gift donations to First Baptist Church during Operation Christmas Child’s national collection week Nov. 13-20.
“God will always place the right child with the right shoebox,” said Fermin. “What a privilege to be a part of something. It’s not just 12 million gifts or shoeboxes but 12 million souls being brought to God.”
Fermin is one of 146 million children who have received a shoebox since the project’s inception in 1993.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child or to view gift suggestions, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Church to collect supplies for Puerto Rico

St. Mary Parish officials began collecting baby-related and feminine products Friday to send to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria caused extensive damage in the U.S. territory, leaving many residents without essential items.

Items needed include diapers, non-perishable baby formula, baby wipes, bottles and nipples, and feminine care products, said Duval Arthur, St. Mary Parish homeland security and emergency preparedness director.

The location to drop off these items in the Tri-City area is at Bethel Pentecostal Fellowship’s warehouse, located at 206 Enterprise Ave. in Patterson.

Organizers will probably have the drop-off location set up to where people can drive through the warehouse to donate items even during rain, said the Rev. Marty Harden of Bethel Pentecostal.

The hours of collection will be from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m.-noon Saturday.

Officials plan to collect items through Oct. 11.

Donations of those baby-related items and feminine products will be greatly appreciated, Arthur said.

Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico Sept. 20, killing at least 16 people and leaving nearly all 3.4 million people on the island without power and most without water, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

“Those people down there are in dire straits right now,” Arthur said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has directed the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to lead a statewide donation drive to help Hurricane Maria survivors in Puerto Rico, according to a news release.

Maria’s hurricane force winds whipped through the island and knocked out most forms of communication, while heavy rain caused severe flooding and has put a major dam at risk of failure. Thousands have been left without power or access to basic survival provisions like food, water and medication, the release said.

Edwards appealed to all of Louisiana’s parish homeland security and emergency preparedness directors to help collect supplies throughout the state to send to Puerto Rico, Arthur said.

“They’re getting food and water brought to Puerto Rico, but they’re exhausted as far as baby food and stuff goes,” Arthur said. “They’re trying to get us to pick up as much as we can so that they’re going to pick it up from here and fly it to Puerto Rico.”

Anyone with questions on donating items may contact Arthur at 337-828-4100, ext. 135.

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