Anthony “A.J.” Gilardi, a native of St. Rose and resident of Franklinton, Louisiana, died on Saturday, March 30. He was 63. Gilardi was the former owner/operator of A.J. Heating and Air Conditioning. He was also a member of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

Beloved husband of 44 years of Judy “Petit” Gilardi. Father and father in law of Cindy G. and John Hamilton, Lynda G. and Darryl Bonner, Joan G. and Kern Adams, and the late Donna G. Ratliff. Grandfather of Jonathon, Adam and Patrick Ratliff; Bridgette, Seth, and Joe Bonner, Suzann Capitano, and Andrew, Drake, and Konnor Adams. Son of the late Joe and Nancy Gilardi. Brother of Joseph “Bud” Gilardi, Sam “Sonny” Gilardi, Benny “Pat” Gilardi, Gasper Gilardi, Vita Rita Zeringue, and Manuella LeBlanc.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, April 2 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan. Entombment followed in St. Charles Borromeo Mausoleum.

Beloved wife of Samuel Earl Dean Jr. Loving mother of Herbert Dean and Debbie Cline Dean. Sister of Perryl J. Gassen and sister-in-law of Valerie Gaubert Dean and Debbie Cline Dean. Sister of Perryl J. Gassen and sister-in-law of Shirley LaBauve Gassen. Daughter of the late Herbert Gassen and Elmire Mollere Gassen. Grandmother of Keith Jr., Micki, Jason, Kristopher, and Teresa Dean. Great-Grandmother of Austin James Dean.

A Funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, March 27 at Holy Family Catholic Church. Interment followed in St. Charles Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Holy Family Church Building Fund. Arrangements entrusted to H.C. Alexander Funeral Home of Norco.

Elson (Pim) Tassin, Sr. of Luling, LA on Friday, March 15, 2002 at 9:30 AM. Beloved husband of Alcida Foret Tassin. Father of Elson J. Tassin, Jr. and Bryant J. Tassin. Brother of Herbert (Red) Tassin and the late Vernice Causin, Eunice Champagne, Delia Troxler, Shirley (Black) Tassin and Irvin (Bald Eagle) Tassin. Son of the late Septime and Alida Cortez Tassin. Father-in-law of Ruth Ann Sanders Tassin and Jill Tregre Tassin. Grandfather of Jay Tassin, Nicole Tassin Cedotal, Kristy Tassin and Melissa Tassin. Great Grandfather of Kirsten Tassin. Mr. Tassin was the former owner and operator of Pims Phillip 66 in Luling, LA. Age 84 years.

Inez Sonntag Insley, a resident of Luling for 26 years, died on Saturday, March 24. She was 65. Insley was an active member of the Legion of Mary.

Beloved wife of Deacon Vern Insley. Mother of Denise Butera of St. Leonard, MD, Diane Deroche of Des Allemands, Simon Insley of Battlecreek, MI, Brian Insley of Ypsilanti, MI, Barry Insley of League City, TX. Sister of Elda Sonntag and Allan Sonntag, both of Dundalk, MD. Also survived by 10 grandchildren.

Eunice Matherne Hogan, and native and resident of Bayou Gauche, died on March 27, 2002. She was 88.

Hogan is survived by sons, Kenneth and Bobby Hogan. Daughters, Louella Hogan Deroche. Brother, Columbus Matherne. Sister, Lorena Romine. 14 grandchildren. 19 great grandchildren. One great-great grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew Hogan. Parents, Alcess and Honora Dugas Matherne. Brother, John Matherne. Sisters, Virginia Dufrene, Lena Barnett, and Hattie Plaisance. Two grandchildren.

Religious services were held on March 28 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Paradis. Burial was in Sunset Cemetery. Falgout Funeral Homes was in charge of arrangements.

Beloved wife of the late Cosimo Portera. Mother of Mary Grace P. Waguespack and the late Salvador C. Portera Sr. and Calogero “Carl” C. Portera Sr. Mother in law of Joseph I. Waguespack and Betty F. Portera. Sister of Rose M. Zummo, Mary M. Stipelcovich, Fay M. Zuppardo, Marie M. Mancuso, and the late Josephine M. Mancuso, Jack Mule, Peter Mule, Catherine M. Rizzuto and Mike Mule. Daughter of the late Calogero Mule and Mary Nancy Gulotta Mule. Also survived by 12 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and six great great grandchildren and the late Joey and Barry Waguespack.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Thursday, March 28 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan. Entombment followed at the church mausoleum. Arrangements entrusted to H.C. Alexander Funeral Home of Norco.

Syl F. Caillet Sr., a native and resident of Hahnville, died on March 20. He was 94.

Caillet is survived by his wife, Maybelle Baudoin Caillet; sons, Gerald A. Caillet and Syl Caillet Jr.; brother, Marcelin (Jack) Caillet; sisters, Elise Young, Virginia Caillet, Pearl Baudoin, and Velma Matis; 12 grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Syl E. Caillet and Elise Trosclair Caillet; daughters, Sylvia Touchard and Cynthia Caillet; and sisters, Cecile Donnaud and Evelyn LeBlanc.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, March 22 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hahnville. Burial was in Holy Rosary Cemetery in Lockport. Falgout Funeral Homes of Raceland was in charge of arrangements.

Francique was the son of the late Paul and Rosemary Rozzetta Francique; brother of Leatrice Boutrie of Norco and Joe Francique of Chalmette. He is also survived by nieces and nephews, Wayne Brownlow, Truin Rocher, Glenn Rocher, Carmen Rocher, Tommy Donaldson, and Penny Morgan and a number of great nieces and nephews.

Religious services were held on Friday, March 22 at H.C. Alexander Funeral Home Chapel in Norco. Cremation will follow.

His cancer was first diagnosed in early 1999. He accepted it without complaint, commenting that he was in the Lord’s hands which was a good place to be.

Mr. Woodiel continued to lead a full life, engaging in activities in politics and going to dances with his wife Dorothy, which was one of his favorite pastimes. He was reportedly seen at the Holy Family Busy Bees dance as recent as December.

Mr. Woodiel was born in 1925 in Enola, Arkansas, the son of John W. and Ruby Davis Woodiel. He had an older sister, Sybly, and a younger one, Betty, and a brother, Freddy, who died at the age of five. He was a resident of Luling for the past 48 years.

A Navy veteran of World War II, he served in the Pacific Theatre aboard the aircraft carrier U. S. S. Enterprise. He was a 1949 graduate of Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas, with a BS degree in chemistry.

During his college years, he went to Little Rock with a friend to spend the Independence Day holiday. While there, he met Dorothy Breyel whom he married in 1948. A year later, their first child, Jack, was born. The family moved to El Dorado, AR where Mr. Woodiel was employed by Lion Oil. He worked for the company, later bought by Monsanto, for 21 years and retired from Woodiel Construction Co., Inc. which he founded in 1973.,

He was transferred to the Lion Oil plant in Luling in 1954 and built his own home on Mimosa Avenue with the help of a builder while working full-time at the plant. This background experience led to the opening of his own construction company in 1973.

When Mr. Woodiel arrived in Louisiana, politics here was dominated by the Democratic Party. In the early sixties, he began work to organize the Republican Party in St. Charles Parish, believing that competition between the parties was the best way to get honest government. It took awhile to find 25 registered Republicans to sign a petition to the state party and, in January of 1965, the local party became a reality. Until his final illness, he continued to be an active member of the party and a relentless campaigner.

Mr. Woodiel served as chairman of the Parish Republican Executive Committee for many years, continuing as a member of the committee until his death. He was elected in 1968 to the first of five terms representing St. Charles Parish on the Republican State Central Committee. He attended the 1984 national Republican convention as an alternate delegate. From 1980 to 1984, he was a member of the Lafourche Basin Levee Commission.

Mr. Woodiel was an active parishioner of Holy Family Catholic Parish and formerly of St. Anthony Parish in Luling. He served on the construction committees of both church parishes and was an usher at Holy Family until his final illness. He was also a member of the VFW and Latinaires Dance Club.

Mr. Woodiel is survived by his wife and three children, John who lives in Dallas, Christopher of Baton Rouge and Deborah Spencer of Knoxville; grandchildren Richard T., John W. IV and Catherine Woodiel of Dallas, Kristen Woodiel of Baton Rouge, and Lauren and Kathryn Spencer of Knoxville; one great-granddaughter, and his two sisters of Sacramento, CA.

Visitation was held from 9 to 11 a. m. followed by funeral mass Tuesday. March 19, at Holy Family Catholic Church. Friends who wish to contribute something in memory of Mr. Woodiel have been asked to make donations to the Holy Family Church Building Fund.

Ena Plaisance Dufrene, a former resident of Bayou Gauche, died on Wednesday, March 13. She was 75.

Dufrene is survived by her son, Michael Dufrene; sisters, Hazel Dufrene and Enzy Foshee; six grandchildren; and 5 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Chester Dufrene; parents, Eugene and Melasaire Schouest Plaisance; and brother, Lennie Schouest.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Thursday, March 14 at St. Hilary Catholic Church in Mathews. Burial was in Sunset Cemetery in Bayou Gauche. Falgout Funeral Homes of Raceland was in charge of arrangements.

Adam J. Mayeux, a resident of St. Rose, died on Saturday, March 10. He was 72.

Mayeux was the beloved husband of 23 years to Laura M. Mayeux; father of Patricia Mayeux and Linder Mayeux; stepfather of Jerry Morrison and Karen Sizeler; brother of Winnie Chenvart and Mary Lee Hebert; stepgrandfather of Abigtail Morrison and Julie Morrison. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lionel and Emilie Mayeux; brothers, Joseph, Wildon, Arthur, Rodrick, and Bernard Mayeux; and a sister, Dorothy Mayeux.

Mayeux was retired from the United States Army after 20 years of service to his country. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 195, Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 3267, Forty Eight Club, and St. Charles Senior Club.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, March 13 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan. Entombment followed at the Mausoleum.

Celeste Elizabeth-Marie Detillier, infant daughter of Jody Detillier and Michele LaFrance Detillier, died on Saturday, March 9. She was the sister of Reid and Bavin Detillier; granddaughter of Daniel and connie LaFrance and Sonny and Marie Detillier; great-granddaughter of Delta and Al LaFrance and Milton Skorlich; and godchild of Rene LaFrance and Lori Martin.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, March 13 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan. Entombment followed in the Mausoleum.

Hayes was the daughter of the late Harriet Gray and John B. Davis, Sr.; beloved wife of the late Herman Hayes; loving mother of the late Whitney Sr. and John B. Hickerson, Sr.; sister of the late Olivia Talbert, Clamonce Milton Sr., Robert Herbert and Rev. John B. Davis, Jr; sister-in-law of Pearl L. and Yvonne P. Davis; aunt of Theresa Davis Ranson and Evelyn Davis Funches; mother-in-law of Dora Hickerson. She is also survived by two grandsons, John Jr. and Whitney Hickerson, Jr., a host of nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.

A funeral was held on Wednesday, March 13 at Isreal Baptist Church in Killona.

Marguerite Perret McMurry, a resident of Norco, died at Ormond Nursing Care Center in Destrehan on Thursday, March 7. She was 96.

McMurry was the beloved wife of the late Thomas Dewitt MCMurry; mother of the late Lois Kaiser; sister of the the late Jeanne Starr and Lolita Waguespack and Henry Perret; Mother of Thomas McMurry and wife, Joyce, and Courtney McMurry, Eula McMurry and mother-in-law of Brian Kaiser. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, March 12 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Norco. Entombment followed at St. Peter Catholic Church in Reserve. Arrangements entrusted to H.C. Alexander Funeral Home of Norco.

Bolden is survived by his wife, Hazel Henson Bolden; sons, George David Bolden and Tommy Eugene Bolden; daughter, Sharon Bolden Dufrene; brothers, Gerald Pat Bolden and James Roy Bolden; sister, Betty Jean Sanders; seven grandchildren; and six great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Mary Todd Bolden.

A memorial service was held on Tuesday, March 12 at the First Assembly of God Church in Des Allemands. Falgout Funeral Homes of Raceland was in charge of arrangements.

Roussel was the beloved husband of Mary Badeaux Roussel; son of the late William J. and Lizzie St. Pierre Roussel; father of Ralph “Tootie” Roussel Jr., Melissa L’Hoste, Kelly Laiche, and Daryl Roussel; father-in-law of Keith W. L’Hoste, Paige Laiche, and Clint and Colby Roussel; brother of Lewis E. Roussel, Mary Anne Millet, and the late O’Leary and Bruce Roussel, Bernice Breaud, Yvonne Schexnaydre, and Stelma Simoneaux. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, March 8 at 1 p.m. at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Norco. Entombment followed at St. Charles Borromeo Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory are requested to : Metropolitan Community Hospice Foundation, 29 Millers Creek Lane, Slidell, Louisiana 70458. Arrangements entrusted to H.G. Alexander Funeral Home of Norco.

Tura Dufrene Ruiz, a native and resident of Des Allemands, died on March 1. She was 48.