Raymond J. Culotta, Sr. "Pops"

Raymond Jerome Culotta, Sr. lost his fierce battle with Lewy Body Dementia at his home in Metairie, LA on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. He competed well; he finished the race; and he always kept the faith. Ray, a native of New Orleans, LA was born on November 3, 1946 to Dominic Jerome Culotta and Eunice Lococo Culotta. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nathalie Andree Culotta; brother, Dominic (Gail); his four children, Raymond Dodson-Culotta (Paul), Roy (Jenny), Rick (Shannon), Nathalie Hammer (Andy); twelve grandchildren and a host of highly regarded nieces and nephews. Ray began his education at Incarnate Word before attending his beloved Holy Cross High School where he made lifelong friends and legendary memories. It was there playing quarterback that #10 led his Tiger Football Team to the State Championship in 1963 before graduating in the Class of 1964. He continued his education at Loyola University where he was a member of Alpha Delta Gamma Fraternity and the Loyola Wolf Pack baseball team. He graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in business before earning a master’s degree in education that focused on guidance and counselling in 1973. Ray’s love of sports catapulted his early career as a football coach at Newman (10-AA Football Championship 1973), De La Salle and Holy Cross High Schools. He would later find a lifelong career with Baker Hughes as a successful oilfield service salesman. He was a long-time parishioner of both St. Benilde and St. Christopher Catholic Churches. An athlete his entire life, Ray completed several marathons, including Boston twice and triathlons. In 2017, Ray was inducted into the Holy Cross Sports Hall of Fame before being inducted to the Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. To his grandchildren David, Jules, Raymond, Roy, Nicholas, Nathy, Lizzie, Loren, Henry, Drew, Jack and Dex, their “Pops” was “The Legend”.

Services will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, LA beginning with visitation at 10:00 AM and Funeral Mass at 1:00 PM. Burial will follow at Garden of Memories, 4900 Airline Drive in Metairie, LA.

Ray was a True Holy Cross Man which “in a word, is a man of faith and honesty, of strength of character through self-mastery, of respect for the Christian family and lawful authority, of leadership in the pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to one of the following organizations:

Holy Cross School, 5500 Paris Ave New Orleans, LA 70112 (Please denote Raymond Culotta, Sr. Fund in the check memo. This will help build a student scholarship in his honor.) www.HolyCrossTigers.com (Giving Page)

Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc., 912 Killian Hill Road S.W. Lilburn, GA 30047 www.lbda.org

Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St. Ste. 800 Miami, FL 33131 www.parkinson.org