Lou Ella B. Lalande
January 2, 1930- January 21, 2023
Pope St. John Paul II: “Thank you, women who are mothers! You have sheltered human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This experience makes you become God’s own smile upon the newborn child, the one who guides your child’s first steps, who helps it to grow, and who is the anchor as the child makes its way along the journey of life.”
Maurice-A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, January 23, 2023 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Maurice honoring the life of Lou Ella B. Lalande, 93, who passed away on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at her residence surrounded by her loving family. She will be laid to rest at St. Alphonsus Cemetery with Reverend Mark Miley officiating and Reverend Paul Beinvenu as con celebrant for the service. Serving as pallbearers will be her grandsons, Jarod Hebert, Lucien Lalande, Jace Holmes, Lane Lalande, Connor Menard, Auston Trahan, and Cauy Menard. Honorary pallbearers will be her brother, Roland Broussard, and her godchildren, Joey Broussard and Oran Stelly, Jr.. Lectors will be her granddaughters, Ashlyn T. Broussard and Neysa H. Pourciau. Gift bearers will be her granddaughters, Sascha L. Phillips, Lauren L. Bourque, and Jada Lalande. Altar servers will be her great-grandchildren, Everett and Aliegh Pourciau and Lola Bodin. A sentimental poem will be read by her grandson Jarod, honoring Lou as a Mother and Grandmother.
Lou was a graduate of Abbeville High School. She was a devout Catholic who had a deep devotion to Mother Mary and the Rosary. Lou was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, in Leroy.
Lou was a woman of grace, faith, and class. She was a devoted homemaker and helped her husband, Aaron on their family farm for over 40 years which consisted of rice, soybeans, cattle, and crawfish in both Vermilion and Lafayette parish. She cooked rice and gravy everyday and regularly delivered her home cooked meals into the fields. Lou thoroughly enjoyed traveling with her husband throughout their married life to every state in the United States, Canada, islands of Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and islands in Mexico. Her children and grandchildren were the treasures of her life. Lou was an exceptional wife, mother, and grandmother and cared deeply for her family. She was always in attendance at functions for her family with her biggest and proudest smile. She did this not out of obligation, but because of who she was. She was always the first to offer help to anyone in need. She always ensured that every child’s friend who crossed her threshold was safe, healthy, and happy. Her love of the holidays was evident in her decorations throughout her home. One of her holiday traditions for Easter and Christmas was baking with her grandchildren. Cookies, breads, and homemade tarts were among her favorites to make. She always shared her baked goods with family and friends. Saturday was her day for cooking her famous roast, carrot fritters, and her delicious homemade root beer. She started each Saturday in the early morning hours making chocolate bread or biscuits and coffee for anyone who dropped in for a visit. Everyone knew Saturday mornings were for visits at MawMaw and PawPaw’s house. She always invited whoever showed up to stay for lunch...and they always did! She loved having everyone over and the more the merrier! She was the Best at rocking all the babies to sleep. The most memorable and laughable memory among her children and grandchildren was MawMaw’s bathtime for sleepovers at MawMaw and PawPaw’s house. She would grab hold of their arm so tight and scrub so hard that the grandchildren would plead with
her, “not so hard MawMaw.” Afterwards, they would compare stories and laugh about their bathtime and swear she had removed a layer of skin off of them. Next, MawMaw would cover them with Johnson’s Baby Powder, dress them and then they were free and CLEAN! The love, affection, and care she gave to each one of them will forever be a treasured memory. She has left an eternal mark on all of her children and grandchildren. Mom/MawMaw was generous and unconditional in her love, and warm in her embrace. Her hugs were the BEST!
Her dearest and lifelong friends were known as the “Coffee Party Ladies of Maurice.” They would meet every Monday morning for coffee and biscuits. Their visits would rotate to each member's home and they would make the best of their time together from 8:00-10:00 AM. When a child of a coffee party member would get married and move into their new home- the coffee party traveled to that home. A gift of a china coffee cup/saucer was given by each member to the new homeowner. These gifts are now treasured keepsakes. The ladies continued their coffee parties and this tradition for over sixty years.
She is survived by her six, loving children, Tommy Lalande (Judy), Cathy L. Holmes (Scott), Mike Lalande (Charlotte), Pat Lalande (Rosanne), Andrea L. Menard (Dirk), and
Angela L. Trahan (Kimble “Kim”); her grandchildren, Sascha L. Phillips, Kindra L. Bodin, Lucien Lalande, Jarod Hebert, Kerry H. Hulin, Neysa H. Pourciau, Jace Holmes, Kallie H. LeBlanc, Jada Lalande, Lane Lalande, Amanda L. Dudding, Lauren L. Bourque, Connor Menard, Cauy Menard, Ashlyn T. Broussard, and Auston Trahan; her 25 great-grandchildren; her four step-grandchildren; her brother, Roland Broussard (Fanny); her brother-in-law, David Lalande; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 72 year, Aaron Paul Lalande; her parents, Otto Broussard and Evelyn Dupuy Broussard; her sister, Verna Broussard; her sisters-in-law, Audrey Lalande and Maggie Lalande; her grandsons, Jade Holmes and Shawn Lalande; her great-granddaughter, Lily Lalande and her son-in-law, Leonard Hebert.
The Lalande family offers love and gratitude to; Dr. Kerry Schexnidar and his staff; Lamm Home Health; her outstanding RN, Hannah; her Physical Therapist, Micah; and Lamm’s Chaplin, Nick. They also deeply thank Lamm Hospice for their loving care, understanding and prayers over the last ten days; her RN’s, Pattie, Marisa, and Ashley; and her support staff, Chayla. Also, her children would like to express their gratefulness to her grandson Jace Holmes, NP; her granddaughter Neysa H. Pourciau and great-granddaughter Aliegh Pourciau for filling in on nightly shifts when needed and especially to her granddaughter, Kerry H. Hulin for taking a nightly shift every week.
The children of Lou are forever grateful to her day-sitter, Lea Abshire. Her tireless help, care, support, understanding, prayers, and love given to their Mom, since their Dad’s passing, has been a blessing to each one of them. They will never forget all that you have done!
MOM- Our beloved mother, you ALWAYS gave us the BEST you had...in return we gave you the BEST we had! We will each treasure every minute of “Our Time” we individually shared with you over the last seventeen months since Dad’s passing. Now, go Rejoice and Rest with
Dad in Heaven, your work here on Earth is done! YOU will truly be missed and will never, ever, be forgotten!
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Delhomme Funeral Home - Maurice, 200 Chief H Fred Ave., on Monday, January 23, 2023 from 9:00 AM until the procession will depart for the church.
A rosary will be led by Leah Guidry and prayed at 11:00 AM on Monday, January 23, 2023.