Ethel is preceded in death by her parents, George and Annette Haydel Banquer, her brother, Herman Banquer, her sister, Edna Mae Banquer Brady Blakewood, and her son-in-law, Charles Sonnier, Sr. She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Henry Nevin Bretz, Sr., her sister, Rita Banquer Bretz, her twin sister, Ethelyn “Bank” Banquer Friloux (James), and her children, Mary Catherine Parker (Ronnie) of Foley AL, Henry “Hank” Bretz, Jr. of Springfield LA, and Paula Sonnier Melear (Mike) of Maurepas LA. She is also survived by her 8 grandchildren, Angela Ingraham (Joe) of Foley AL, Amy Lindley of Fairhope AL, Robert Lindley III (Elizabeth) of Orange Beach AL, Sarah Sadlis (Dan) of Foley AL, Henry Nevin Bretz, III (Patty) of Walker LA, Katye Snyder (Shea) of Gulf Breeze FL, Emily Barbin of Moulton AL, and Charles Sonnier, Jr. (Jade) of Fordoche LA, 14 great-grandchildren, Joe, Sam, and Lilly Ingraham, Benjamin and Matthew Walker, Zachary and Emma Lindley, Arianna and Isabella Bretz, Austen and Wendy Snyder, Walker and Jackson Barbin, and Quinn Sonnier, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Ethel grew up in New Sarpy, Louisiana, attended St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School, and graduated from Destrehan High School. She and her twin sister, Bank, attended Hotel Dieu in New Orleans in 1949, both graduating as registered nurses. She and Henry were long-time residents of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ethel returned to her nursing career after raising her children, working at Woman’s Hospital at its opening and later sharing the joy with her twin sister, Bank, as Dr. Danny Wood’s pediatric nurses. While her family was her vocation, she enjoyed reading and sewing for her girls and nieces. She also enjoyed gardening and traveling with her husband and family. There were also many memories made at the “camp” at Tickfaw River and later at their permanent residence there.
The family would like to thank her caregivers, Janice Antoine, Ashlynn Disher, Janice Damron and Lorraine Langlois for their kind and loving care. The family would also like to thank her hospice caregivers.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, March 26, 2021 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan, Louisiana. A visitation and family-led Rosary will be held from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM with a funeral Mass to begin at 1:00 PM, celebrated by Father Dominic Arcurie. Interment will follow at St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery.
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