Mary Ardoin Foret passed away peacefully on July 13, 2021, in McComb, Mississippi. Warm and gentle, with an occasional pinch of south Louisiana seasoning, Mary flourished within her beloved Ville Platte community, always nurturing her cherished family and many lifelong friends. She embraced all of her endeavors with creativity, love and grace, and was comfortable and happy in her lifelong role as a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, great- grandmother, and loyal friend.
The family will gather to celebrate Mary’s life and loving contributions to their lives on Saturday, July 31, 2021, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ville Platte with visitation from 9 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. with a Rosary prayed from 9:30 to 10 a.m., followed by a celebration of Mass and burial.
A true daughter of rural French Acadiana, Mary joined a family of six older siblings on December 5, 1930, in Chataignier. Her parents, Euge and Azaelina Fontenot Ardoin, toiled their farmland and reared their large French-speaking family amid economic hardships, but with plenty of love and laughter.
After spending her childhood on the farm, Mary earned a license to become a nurse at Ardoin Sanitarium (later Ville Platte General Hospital), and served there until she met her future husband, James Burton Foret Sr.
They soon married in 1950 and moved to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where Burton served in the United States Marine Corps. From there, Mary energetically supported Burton in his military, legal, and political careers. They both loved to travel, especially to French-speaking countries, and even enjoyed two summers in Honfleur, France.
In between her world travels, Mary never missed a good game of bourre with her close friends in Ville Platte. Always productive, and gifted creatively, she sewed for her children and was the first to embrace new artistic trends, such as ceramics, decoupage, furniture refinishing and perhaps her most cherished talent, cooking. A great holiday entertainer, Mary’s face lit up when her children and grandchildren arrived for the annual Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. She also spent as many fall weekends as possible at Tiger Stadium, cheering on her beloved LSU football team beside Burton and her rowdy extended Tiger family. In 2018, Mary gracefully moved to The Claiborne in McComb, Mississippi, where she courageously started a new chapter, making new friends and bravely embracing her later years and failing health.
She is survived by her brother-in-law, Dr. Gerald Foret, Sr. (Gayle); her three children, James Burton “Jimmy” Foret, Jr. (Christine), Phyllis Foret Bussey (Robert), Melissa Foret Field (Dr. Richard Field, III); her seven grandchildren, James Burton “Trey” Foret III, Sara Bussey Dantzler, Colin Lewis Bussey, Richard Jennings Field IV (Caitlin), Emily Foret, Martine Bussey Shuckrow (Russ), Burton Foret “Beau” Field (Jordan); and her five great-grandchildren, Peyton, Caroline and Parker Dantzler, Audrey Bussey, Josephine Field and Jamey Shuckrow. Mary leaves behind many nieces and nephews, whom she also dearly loved.
Mary is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 55 years, Burton, as well by her six older siblings, Jimmy, Enos, Ena (Fontenot), Elsie (Miller), Winnie (Lalonde) and Evelyn.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.