JOHN RICKEY SOILEAU
October 12, 1958 – April 3, 2021
CHATAIGNIER – Funeral services were held at a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Chataignier on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, for John Rickey Soileau, 62, who passed away on Saturday, April 3, 2021, surrounded by his loving family.
Father Blaine Clement, pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was celebrant of the Mass and conducted the services.
Burial took place at Evangeline Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Ville Platte.
At the request of the family, visitation took place at Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Ville Platte on Monday, April 5, 2021, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. A Rosary was recited by Deacon Ben Soileau on Monday at 5 p.m. Visitation resumed on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 8 a.m. until time of services.
John Rickey Soileau was born on October 12, 1958, in Ville Platte to Verbis and Versie Johnson Soileau. Rickey raised and bred Angus cattle and owned “Soileau Angus Farm.” He worked for BP for over 30 years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and watching the New Orleans Saints and LSU Football. He was a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. Rickey was devoted to his family. He was a loving husband and father. His wife and children meant everything to him.
Rickey is survived by his wife, Beth Soileau; sons, Jeremy Paul Soileau and Dustin Keith Soileau and friend, Travis Nichols; and mother, Versie Soileau.
He is preceded in death by his father, Verbis Soileau.
Family and friends may leave condolences for the Soileau family at http://www.ardoinfuneralhomes.com.
BETTY ANN ARDOIN REED
June 15, 1932 – March 28, 2021
Betty Ann Ardoin Reed died Sunday, March 28, 2021, at the age of 88, at the home of her oldest daughter, Aleta Meyer, in New Braunfels, Texas. She had been living there since Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles.
There will be a viewing at University Baptist Church in Lake Charles from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday, April 12. At 2 p.m., visitors can share memories of Betty.
Burial will be at 3 p.m. at Consolata under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home.
Betty was born on June 15, 1932, in Mamou, the seventh of eight children. She spoke French at home and learned English at school. Her beloved mother, Lydia Vezinat Ardoin, a cook, raised the six children who survived childhood as a single mother. Although poor, Lydia’s home was filled with love. Her grandmother, Onezia Fontenot Vezinat, lived nearby, and they were very close. She never missed a movie at Mamou’s theatre and had fond memories of crawfishing with her younger brother, Huey (using their toes as bait!), and cooling off at the irrigation pump. She proudly said she had the first new bicycle in Mamou after World War II.
In 1949, at age 17, Betty moved to Houston and worked at the Shamrock Hotel. She met many celebrities of the day, from Frank Sinatra to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. She was the elevator operator for both Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur. General Eisenhower told her about his days at Camp Polk and called her his Cajun Beauty. She also volunteered at the recently opened Alley Theatre.
Betty met her husband, Roland, through a friend in early 1955. Although he was also from Mamou, they didn’t know each other, but knew all the same people. They were married at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Lake Charles on Christmas Day in 1955. Roland was in the Air Force at that time, and they lived in Lafayette, Jennings, Moss Bluff, and then Lake Charles. Aleta Maria was born in 1956, Lydian Dawn in 1958, and Damon Brett in 1960. They still owned the Lake Charles home they bought in 1963 at the time of their deaths.
In the early 1970’s, when Walgreens opened its first store in Lake Charles at the Southgate Shopping Center on Ryan Street, Betty was hired in the cosmetics department. She worked there for about 10 years and loved talking to her customers and helping them with their makeup.
Besides her family and her home, Betty’s passions were reading, gardening, and travelling. When macular degeneration robbed her of her freedom to drive and ability to read, she checked out audio books at the library. She was a frequent visitor with her ‘secretary,’ Roland, who kept track of the books she listened to in her notebooks. She loved flowers and always had many varieties, and shade trees, in the yard. Betty saw most of the continental United States by car with her family. She also travelled to Europe and beyond -- three times with Roland and six times with her daughters and granddaughter. She used her French in Quebec, France, Belgium and Monaco with no problem at all. She also helped start a grassroots campaign, about 30 years ago, to end forced heirship in Louisiana.
Betty is preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Roland. He died in August, 2020. Her beloved mother, Lydia Vezinat Ardoin, died in 1955. All of her siblings -- Pearlie, Elizabeth, Gordon, Floyd, and Huey -- preceded her in death, as did her father, Lova Ardoin, and her great-granddaughter, Sophie Marie Sims.
Left to cherish her memory are her three children, Aleta Meyer and Lydian and Damon Reed; grandchildren, Jaclyn King (Chad) and Camille and Travis Meyer; great-grandchildren, Connor Sims and Wade and Wyatt King; and many nieces and nephews.
Her children would like to thank the employees at the Calcasieu Parish Library on Ernest Street for all the help they provided her for years after her macular degeneration diagnosis. They ordered audio books for her from all over the United States. They would also like to thank Heart of Hospice in Lake Charles for their kind care after her stroke in 2017 and Hope Hospice in New Braunfels, Texas, for their kind care over the past seven months. Memorials can be made to the library or either Hospice.
We invite you to sign her digital register book, leave a fond memory or sentiment of condolences on our website www.johnsonfuneralhome.net.
BENNIE FONTENOT JR.
June 3, 1942 – April 3, 2021
Bennie Joseph Fontenot Jr. passed away at the Carpenter House on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the age of 78.
Visitation was held at Seale Funeral Home on Wednesday April 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with a Mass following at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs.
Internment followed on the grounds of Evergreen Memorial Park under the direction of Seale Funeral Home.
He was a native of Ville Platte and has resided in Denham Springs since 1973. He was a fisheries biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for 40 years and served as chief of inland fisheries for the last 20 years. He was a lover of traditional Cajun music and cooking.
Bennie is survived by his brother, Randy Fontenot and his wife, Camille; children, Quenton Fontenot and his wife, Allyse Ferrara, B. Jason Fontenot and his wife, Kimberly, and Christine Fontenot; and his grandchildren, Jacob Fontenot, Madeline Fontenot, and Sophia Fontenot.
He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Dianne Fontenot; his parents, Bennie and Gussie Fontenot; sister, Cheryl Dupre; and grandson, James Landry.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation.
HILDA MAE VIDRINE
April 1, 1943 – April 4, 2021
VIDRINE – Funeral services will be held at a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Mamou today, April 8, 2021, for Hilda Mae Vidrine, 78, who passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 4, 2021, surrounded by her loving family.
Father Billy Massie, pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic Church, will be celebrant of the Mass and conduct the funeral services.
Burial will take place in the New St. Ann’s Cemetery under the direction of Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Mamou.
The family requested that visitation be observed at Ardoin’s Funeral Home in Mamou on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. A Rosary was prayed in her honor at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Visitation will resume today from 8 a.m. until time of services.
Hilda Mae Vidrine was born on April 1, 1943, in Belaire Cove to Eulice and Mais Fontenot Berzas. She was a long-time resident of Vidrine. Hilda enjoyed spending time outside working in her vegetable and flower garden. She loved quilting and making beautiful heirlooms for her family and friends. Her greatest love was the love she had for her family. She found the most joy spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They always brought the happiest smile to her face. She will be missed by all those who loved her.
She is survived by her four children, Joseph Chapman and wife, Ellen, of Vidrine, James Mitchell Vidrine and wife, Debra, of Tate Cove, Darren Wade Vidrine and wife, Karen Vidrine, of Vidrine, and Melissa Vidrine of Vidrine; her grandchildren, Shannon Chapman, Erin Chapman, James Chapman, Joshua Vidrine, Kyle Vidrine, Thomas Vidrine, Alex Vidrine, Emily Kidder, Mason Vidrine, Emma Vidrine, and Liam Vidrine; and 11 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, J.B. Vidrine; parents, Eulice Berzas and Mais Fontenot Berzas; and her brother, Burkman Berzas.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Heart of Hospice, Dr. Oscar Rodriguez, and all of her caregivers for the compassionate care extended to Mrs. Hilda in her last days.
Family and friends may leave condolences for the Vidrine family at www.ardoinfuneralhomes.com.