Thanks all supporting his family, erecting a monument
When thousands of people appeared at St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Des Allemands to pay their respects to Bart Dufrene Jr., Sarah Abadie wept as she recounted what it meant to her to see the many lives her son had touched.
On Nov. 28, Dufrene died instantly when an airboat manned by a relative with Airboat Tours by Arthur in Lafourche Parish came around a blind curve and struck his mud boat.“We counted upwards of 2,500 people,” Abadie said. “It was humbling.”
People were waiting outside the church in a line that went down the old road in Des Allemands, she said.
Abadie wants to thank these many people in a response that their family considered overwhelming.
“The priest stated he never saw such a turn out of people who knew anyone, much less Bart, to pay their respects at any funeral he’s ever presided over,” she said.
Our family has no way of knowing who many of those wonderful people were, but want to thank them all.”
Abadie said she is still in shock over the accident that led to her son’s death, but she is humbled that he was loved by so many people.
Abadie and her family are grateful for the outpouring of support. The mourning community even rescheduled its annual boat Christmas parade by and dedicated it to Dufrene. Abadie said a float was dedicated to her son. It also was followed by several mudboats in his memory.
“I was just flabbergasted,” she said over seeing the many people at Dufrene’s funeral. Her ex-husband said people attended it from as far as away as Texas and Oklahoma. “People from all over were coming in and I didn’t know half of them, but it was just unbelievable.”
Contributions were made at the funeral for Dufrene’s wife and children, she said. A fund in their name has drawn made and football pools being held to further raise money to help them.
A benefit luncheon (white beans, jambalaya and salad for $10 will be held Dec. 29 at the River Room, 15 Dufresne Loop, Luling. For more information or to order call Brandi Hebert, (985) 812-8021, Katelin Schmill, (985) 703-2656 or Tayler Devillier, (985) 722-7826.
A memorial will be placed at the location where the accident occurred for her son, she said.
“It’s amazing,” a weeping Abadie said of the outpouring of love. “It’s very humbling. You wonder what your kids will be when they grow up and the lives they will touch.”
But she said it was incredible to see who remembered her son.
At the cemetery, Abadie said an incredible thing happened.
“After the funeral, at the cemetery as we were leaving, it was kind of eerie, but there were five eagles soaring above,” she said. “One was squawking loudly. It reminded us of him … like he was telling us not to cry for him.”
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