Wilbert Adam Broussard

Wilbert Adam Broussard, age 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 26, surrounded by family. He is survived by wife, Helen; three children, Bobbie-Jo Abuzaid (Wael), Bridgett Adams (Cody), and Bruce Broussard (Janine); and seven grandchildren.

Born on August 10, 1939 in St. Martinville, Louisiana, Wilbert was the son of Dizier Joseph and Eunice Marie Bernard Broussard. Having been born into a large family (ten siblings), his was a humble beginning. He and family lived in a small 800 square foot home built by his dad on a street later to become Broussard Road. Wilbert’s childhood and family life experiences served him well throughout his life and were at the core of his desire to work hard, constantly improve, and extend kindness to others.

His desire to learn and to improve was the force that led him to leave home and join the US Air Force after graduating from high school. His time in the military was something he always cherished as it provided him a worldview of different cultures, giving him a lifelong appreciation for diversity. His military experience also gave him view of many vocations, which is how he got exposure to the field of technology. While based in Upstate New York, Wilbert met Sandy who would become his wife following the completion of his military service. He and Sandy moved to Louisiana for a short time, but eventually moved back to New York in the Oneida area. It’s there that Wilbert began pursuing a career in technology, joining New York Bell as an installation technician.

Wilbert took to technology right from the start, having an innate sensibility for it. It was here he was able to break his family’s cycle of poverty, taking his passion for technology and turning it into a path for advancement and a lifelong career. Through his dedication, work ethic, and intelligence, he was on track to a promising technical career, but he realized being a technician might limit his ability to learn and grow, so he began attending night school to earn his college degree. It was worth the effort as more career opportunities came his way, many of which required relocating to different areas. Every move was a thoughtful process as he was careful to accept opportunities that provided growth and stability for the family, including good schools, safe communities, and opportunities to develop friendships. These priorities often required sacrificing other pleasures due to financial constraints.

His was certainly a career of staying power as he went on to enjoy 55 years of progressively greater responsibilities working for New York Bell, Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Lucent, Bell Labs, and KCI during the span of his career. His unique expertise was in managing the older switch technology, something he was extremely passionate about, so much so he personally developed a digital diagnostic tool that identified switch problems. It worked so well, his employer adopted use of the “Willie Tool.”

More than anything else in life, Wilbert was a dedicated and loving family man. Creating a loving and nurturing environment for his family was his most important priority, something always top of mind for him and something on which he never compromised. Learning from his own childhood, he realized how one’s environment influences one’s outlook on life, so giving his family his best was his priority.

In raising his children, one of his philosophies was that an active child was a growing child. So he was very active in encouraging his kids to participate in sports, both traditional and non-traditional ones. It was important to him that these activities challenged their bodies and their minds, while also teaching them to take risks and to make mistakes. He sacrificed his time by supporting the kids’ and family’s many activities, but in the end, their activities were his activities. With family was where he wanted to be.

Throughout life, Wilbert put others before himself. As a close relative remarked, he wasn’t flashy in the traditional sense (no fancy suits for him), but he could be when it came to the attention and the care he gave his family, his friends, and his work. He was a loving husband to his first wife, Sandy, to whom he was married for nearly 25 years, before she passed away shortly following their separation. That same characteristic love and support carried through to Helen, his second wife to whom he was married for 33 years. In recent years, his greatest priority was ensuring Helene’s comfort and security at such time of his passing.

Finally, but not forgotten, another great love of Wilbert’s was his love for animals, especially his dog, Mimi. Whether he was walking about the neighborhood, hiking in the woods, or driving around town, he was always on the lookout for opportunities to assist animals in need. He never had much of a desire to hunt (a somewhat unnatural state for someone from southern Louisiana). To him, animals were enduring, faithful friends that nurtured the soul.

Wilbert’s was a special soul. His family and the many friends he had a privilege of knowing in his lifetime will sorely miss him.