Marty Luquet said that when it comes to Destrehan High School baseball, there’s no way to overstate the impact Freddie St. Pierre and wife Iola had on the program.
“They took care of us,” said Luquet. “They took care of all of us, as players and as coaches.”
St. Pierre passed away on February 10 at the age of 96. He was preceded in death by Iola, who passed in 2018 at the age of 83.
Together the couple dedicated approximately 25 years of supporting Wildcats baseball, as five of their grandchildren donned the uniform and took the field. Iola worked concessions and Freddie manned the scoreboard and microphone in the press box, announcing during the games. Even when they didn’t have family on the field or in the dugout, there they were, still in those capacities, lending their unconditional support.
“They watched their children come through the program, grandchildren come through the program, and even when they were gone, they continued to stay … into the 2014, 15, 16 seasons, you know, they were just so special. I didn’t want (the week of St. Pierre’s passing) to go without my players thinking back to them and some of the things they did,” Luquet said.
Freddie “had to have watched 1,000 games,” in his time there, Luquet said in reference to how reliable Freddie was to show up and man things, though there were some hiccups in there, the veteran coach joked.
“When he could put a disc in, that was one thing, but when everything went digital – we’d be standing down the line for the National Anthem, and you weren’t quite sure if it would be that or “Yeah” from Usher,” Luquet quipped.
“When I first got the job, through my first four years I coached two of her grandchildren,” said Luquet, whose coaching tenure at Destrehan mirrored the majority of the St. Pierres’ run. “I had the last two as well. And usually, a player graduates and you see (their parents) fade out – but those two decided they were part of our program. And we’re very glad they did.”
Luquet said St. Pierre announced games for freshmen, varsity and JV alike. Iola was right there with him.
“He was there every single game. And Ms. Iola running the concessions and just being special, and making the players feel special,” Luquet said. “They took those jobs seriously. They made things easy for us. They were just genuine people who loved the kids and the school.
“The continuity of our program was Iola and Freddie St. Pierre. I don’t believe other programs were as fortunate as we were to have people like them with us year after year.”
They were also longtime staples at Destrehan football and basketball games, though their children and grandchildren did not play those sports — they were fans of everything DHS.
Luquet said their enthusiasm was infectious and appreciated. 
“They would come to practice and watch every practice when I first got on the job,” Luquet said. “(Iola) just told me she really enjoyed watching the kids have fun, that we made practice fun and games fun. She just loved it. From that point on, she was with us every day.”
In fact, then-Destrehan head football coach Stephen Robicheaux and then-DHS Principal Stephen Weber gave them free passes to attend every game.
St. Pierre was a Lutcher native and longtime Destrehan resident. He was a former plant manager at Bunge Corporation before retiring in 1994.
In 2021, a ceremony was held to dedicate the concession stand in their honor – a plaque and photo commemorating their service now adorns the stand.
