Laura Faulk Demary Trahan

Adolph Hebert and Adeline Demarets were the parents of Francoise. Semar “Poleet” Faulk was the son of Joseph Faulk, who had a peg leg, and Adele Miguez, who was pure Spanish. Semar and Francoise married October 31, 1910.

Semar and Francoise were known to their children as Momma and Papa. They were the parents of Olivia Agnes, Eva, Adia, Oliver-who died when he was only 9 or 10 days old, Asa Eugene, Jacque Edward, Charles, and lastly the twins: Laura, then an hour later, Lawrence on March 29, 1926. They lived in Big Lake, across the Intercostal Canal in an area called Big Pasture. To give someone a nickname was considered giving them a gift. Their Papa dubbed the twins “Doll” and “Neg”. Olivia was “Levia." Eva was “Shoon.” Adia was “Beco.” Edward was “Eddie.” Charlie was “Cay Ban”. They also raised a grandson, Charles Raleigh Newman, who was four years younger than the twins. He also called them Momma and Papa.

The family lived in several different sharecropper houses. One of the best ones was a 3-bedroom house with a kitchen and a living room and a front porch. There were no bathrooms. They took baths in a large foot tub. There was no washing machine, no sink, no running water, no electricity, no closets, no luxuries. They kept their clothes in a cardboard box under the bed. The kitchen had a kerosene stove, a small wood heater, and a table with a bench on each side. In spring and summer, Papa farmed cotton and vegetables: corn, peas, and sweet potatoes. He could follow a horse and plow, doing an acre in one day. As a sharecropper, no money came in until crops were harvested. He got to keep 3/4 of what he made. So selling only cotton did not bring much money in. When he wasn’t busy, he fished a lot. In fall and winter he was a guide at a duck-hunting club. He may have made up to $5 a day doing that. He shot left-handed and rarely ever missed. In winter when he was home and blackbirds were migrating, he would take his shotgun and fire one or two shots, which killed 25 or 30 birds. His family had a great meal that day! From the duck-hunting camp, Papa would come home every two weeks carrying 15 or more ducks and 3 or 4 geese. His family was so happy to see him. He always dressed in overalls with one pants leg rolled up to just below his knee. Also one strap of his overalls was usually not strapped. He worked so hard to support his family. He seemed to enjoy life and had a keen sense of humor. He also knew how to play a harmonica, which he sometimes played in the evenings.

Momma always managed to keep the family healthy. There was the monthly doses of castor Oil. Mom went to their beds with a spoon and a bottle. What a revolting development! Everyone drank lots of milk, and none had cavities until they were at least 21. Even though they did not own a mode of transportation, Momma tried to visit her brothers and sisters and their children. For some that lived a little further out, she sometimes got a ride with the school bus driver, Camile Demarets. Momma was a great cook and she knew well how to stretch their meager finances as far as possible. There was really good cornbread for supper. Couscous for breakfast was especially good and occasionally there was fig preserves with that. Her specialties: jambalaya or roast duck. Laura especially enjoyed her hen jambalaya and admitted she was never able to make it quite as good. She also made great sweet dough pies and knew how to make a delicious raisin nut cake. Making bread for the family was a daily must. They had to bring their lunches to school, and sandwiches were made with homemade bread. The kids felt embarrassed when they saw others had lunches with bought sliced bread. Only later did they realize what they had, hand-baked with love, was a lot better than what the richer kids had.

ASA & EDDIE -On June 23, 1931, Asa, 11, and Eddie, 10, told their mom they wanted to go the next day crabbing in the Intracostal Canal and they could take their little brother Charlie, age 8, with them. The next morning Frances told them not to wake their little brother as he would go to meet them later. They decided to stop at a neighbor’s house and invite three Crador brothers, Shawee, Olphy, and Edward, to go with them. The Crador boys asked their father if they could go. He replied, “After y’all do your work at the barn, you can go meet them.” When the Cradors got there, they couldn’t find them. Charlie also arrived and could not see them. They asked the ferry operator, John Hebert, the Faulk’s uncle, if he had seen them. He had not seen them disappear. Soon divers were diving into the canal searching for them. Another man used a long pole with a large hook attached to it. It was he who found the first one and then the other. Papa had just recovered from a serious fever, yet he ran for miles along the canal levy yelling out their names. Other members of the family heard excitement and walked to the scene. When Papa saw Laura, age 5, he exclaimed “Oh no, Doll! Not you too!” They were not embalmed because the family could not afford it. Seeing Asa and Eddie lying dead on their living room floor was so sad and could never be erased from the memories of family and neighbors. Uncle Toussaint, a carpenter, made two pine coffins for them. Camile, the school bus driver, took out his center row of seats and served as the hearse. No sadder funeral was ever held. They were buried in a simple grave with no headstone. Much later Lawrence had marble markers made for them.

When Francoise Hebert was a child, there was no law about going to school in those days, and their father would not allow them to go. He was afraid they would forget the Cajun language and customs. The Semar Faulks spoke only Cajun French at home, the only language their parents knew. The first grade teacher, Miss Rena Guidry, had her work cut out for her. She was determined to teach them English or as they called it “American.” Laura, having learned some English from her older brothers and sisters, was anxious to learn, loved her teacher, and managed to be on the honor roll in the first six weeks of first grade! However the only ones to go on to receive college degrees were Charles Faulk, Doctor of Education, and Raleigh Newman, Attorney at Law.

The Faulk children did not have pets growing up. However, Frances fed cats at the back door, but they remained outdoors. This way the mice and rats didn’t bother them. They had two horses to pull the plow on the farm. There was always a cow to milk. Sometimes they raised a pig and a sheep or two. Life was hard on a farm during the depression. There were animals to feed, a cow to milk, washing the clothes using a rub board, and hanging them out to dry, vegetables from the garden to pick and prepare, fruit in season to pick and can: blackberries, figs, pears, and peaches. Olivia being the oldest had great responsibility in helping with the kitchen work and taking over when her mother gave birth to another sibling. Before her sixteenth birthday she married Dulva Demarets. Eva, second-born, headstrong, but quick to learn, picked up English words quickly; and at a very young age went with Papa to sell crabs, fish, or whatever he had to wealthier people with camps along the lake. Eva married at fourteen, and was the mother of Raleigh. Adia took on the kitchen chores and doing the family wash on a rub board. At the age of sixteen, she married Junius Granger. All her jobs transferred to Charlie. He had an appreciation of his parents as they worked so hard to care for and provide for their family. He gained valuable experience and knowledge for his future with his lovely wife, Joyce Fontenot, and their eight children.

After the drowning, the Faulk children never went around deep water, but Charlie enjoyed crabbing one mile down the road in the marsh where he could wade in shallow water. He pulled a washtub across the water while scooping up crabs from the bottom of the marsh. He usually caught 3 or 4 dozen. Momma boiled some, and made gumbo with the rest. What a delicious treat, and catching them was great fun!

All the children, even the preschoolers, worked very hard in the cotton fields. Laura recalled her papa would take two rows with her and Lawrence. Laura and Lawrence would take each a row and Papa would follow behind them, making sure to pick all the cotton they had missed (while they were learning.) Raleigh took his turn as soon as he was old enough, since he was four years younger than they were. These three younger children were very good at their job, and when they finished the crop on their own farm, they were hired out to work in others’ fields.

Eva was constantly teasing her younger siblings. For example, when someone had just finished frying something, Eva picked up the skillet. Little Laura was nearby. Eva teased, “I’m going to burn you!” Then the skillet slipped out of her hand and hot grease splashed all over Laura’s chest. Laura was brought to a traiteurs* (or “treater” in English) who prayed over her, and she eventually healed without a scar.

*Traiteurs are the traditional folk faith healers of south Louisiana. Faith in God’s power to heal is the heart of this practice—treating a wide variety of ailments, including but not limited to: sunstroke, earache, bleeding, asthma, burns, warts. What a blessing to have in the absence of doctors. Uncle Steve Croker was one of these.

When Laura was about nine years of age, while playing outside, she fell against a board with a huge nail head sticking out that pierced the side of her knee, tearing her flesh. She had to be rushed to Lake Charles to the doctor, who sewed a lot of stitches with Laura awake, having had nothing for pain. The injury got all infected. Every week she had to return to the doctor, riding on the bus, laying on a pad on the bus floor. The doctor would look at it and apply a tight bandage. She had to miss a lot of school because of this. Finally she was brought to a different doctor because that one couldn’t seem to help her. She healed, but kept the scar the rest of her life.

As has already been observed, the school bus driver played such an important role in a poor rural community, especially a bus driver so kind and accommodating as was Camile Demarets. Every Saturday, he made a trip to downtown Lake Charles carrying anyone who wanted a ride to shop, visit, get medical attention, or go to the movies. On Sundays, the Faulk family and others rode the bus to 9:00 Mass. The entire Catholic community gathered at 8:oo because this was the great social gathering of the week. Those who wanted to go to confession did so while the others socialized. The kids had their own friends from school, the farmers met other farmers, and the mothers met their friends. The community stayed very close this way.

How did Big Pasture residents celebrate Christmas in those days? Papa went to the Coastal Club. Customarily a boat passed in the Intracoastal where Papa got little toys: marbles, rubber balls, game of jacks, various fruits. If they got each an apple for Christmas, they were happy. They spent the day all together with a special meal.

DOUBLE FIRST COUSINS: LOVINA & ELZA

She was born Lovina Alice Demarets in Big Lake on Dec. 20, 1917 to Antoine and Natalie Granger Demarets. Antoine’s brother Donate Demary was married to Natalie’s sister Oralie. On October 11, 1918, Oralie gave birth to her first son, Elza Gilbert Demary, named after Donate's close friend, Elza LeBleu. Lovina was ten months old. These two young families shared living quarters for a time, and Elza always seemed like a brother to Lovina.

Donate was about 5 foot 7 in height, but he proudly declared Oralie was “6 feet tall!” However she had some kind of sickness that for a long time left her barely able to walk, while Elza was little they lived during that time at Grandpa Bob Demary’s.

Natalie and Antoine’s other children: Lina, Rogers, Yvonne, Loree, Opal, and Natalie.

Oralie’s second son, Murphy, lived only a few months. Her third son was named Oreda Lee after her. Oralie died at the age of thirty-two, giving birth to her fourth son, Percy. Percy was immediately adopted by another Demary brother, Camille, (the bus driver) and his wife Rosa Hebert.

After Oralie’s death, Elza, Oreda, and their dad, Donate were living in Sulphur when Donate was jailed for bootlegging. Elza realized he was the only one caring for his little brother who was about 3 1/2 years old, and he didn’t have any money for food. So he and his brother started on foot for the home of his maternal grandparents, crossing an old drawbridge onto Shell beach Drive, then more than 20 miles south of Lake Charles into Cameron Parish and across the ferry in Big Lake. Thereafter, Oreda resided with his grandparents, Philemon and Aline Comeaux Granger, known to their grandchildren as Grandma and Grandpa “Togo”. Elza, age 11 1/2, lived here and there, but mostly with Lovina’s family.

Lovina’s mother taught her to read and write before she ever went to school. There was a small school right in her neighborhood, but the night before she was to start, the school mysteriously burned down. There was a larger school a few miles away.

Once, Lovina spent the night with her cousin or friend. She had given instructions to Elza to bring her lunch and give it to her on their makeshift school bus. The seats were benches along the sides of the bus. A ruckus started, causing the then bus driver, Mr. Mayo Guidry, to turn his head, then lose control of the bus; and it turned over. I think everyone was okay, but Elza’s best pair of pants was torn on a nail. It seems the only casualty was Lovina’s lunch, and boy was she upset about that!

Elza stopped attending school when he was in the seventh grade. At a young age Elza could pick out tunes on different musical instruments: fiddle, guitar, piano, one of the first being an accordion. This was encouraged by Grandpa Togo who played the fiddle and also by his Uncle John Demary. Elza’s favorite instrument was the guitar. He played music in different dance halls, house parties, at celebrations, and as family entertainment. Later when he was in the military, it was a comfort to him and other lonesome GI’s.

When she was fourteen, Lovina quit school and married a good and kind man and the love of her life: Mallius John Guidry. When they were first married, sometimes Lovina would leave for the day to visit a family member or friend. Elza would take that opportunity to go to her house, wash her dishes, mop her floors, and clean everything. When Lovina returned, she’d say, “Well, I know what little elf has been around.” When they lived in Sweetlake, Elza worked in the rice field, so he stayed with them. Elza had his guitar with him. Other local musicians joined him, and played music for others to dance.

Elza always loved little children. When Lovina’s son, Richard, and her youngest sister, Natalie, were small; they’d turn their heads when they saw Elza coming because they knew they would get kissed to death!

When the Guidrys moved to Lake Charles in 1940, Elza also went to work there and moved in with his dad, Donate. One day there was a carnival nearby during the day. Elza went and rode one of the really rough rides, but he learned how to brace himself in it. That night he talked Mallius into riding it with him, but Mallius didn’t know how to hold himself. Elza laughed until he was almost sick!

(These families tie in with the Faulks later.)

One of Laura’s closest friends was her cousin, Mildred Marcantel. Others were Lina Demarets, Ina Matte, and Ina's cousins: Estelle and Lillian Matte. It was fun to visit Estelle and Lillian who were fortunate to have a graphophone. With this, the girls taught each other to dance. Occasionally there were Friday night dance parties in someone’s home, where Papa played the iron (Te-fere). Others danced. Sometimes Papa danced a little jig by himself. There was also a couple of dance halls: Cleve’s and Blanchard’s. The dance hall had benches all around the room against the wall. In the back there was a room where all the small children were placed on a bed when they fell asleep. Their mothers told them sweetly in French, “Fay-do-do, fay-do-do” as they tried to lull them to sleep. That way their mothers could continue dancing.

Francoise had her teeth pulled when Laura was 13. Laura had to have a crash course in cooking, bringing ingredients to Momma’s bed for on-the-spot instructions.

LAURA & ELZA always knew each other. His dad was her godfather. Elza was a playmate to Asa and Eddie, being close in age to them. They had first cousins in common: the children of Toussaint, brother of Donate and Azelina, sister of Francoise. Note: They could always tell when Aunt Azelina was coming for a visit because they could hear her playing her French harp (harmonica) as she came walking on the road. Olivia’s husband, Dulva was another brother of Donate. Adia’s husband, Junius was a brother of Oralie.

When Laura was about fourteen, she and Elza began to see each other in a different light. Courting in those days consisted of visiting in the girl’s living room in the dark. Bedtime was at dark. Any activity in the kitchen, making candy, for instance, would have disturbed the rest of the household. Surely the parents’ ears were strained to hear quiet talking going on at all times! Sometimes when a male cousin would get a vehicle and an acceptable outing was planned with at least three couples, the girls’ parents would allow her to go. (It only happened once or twice.)

At this age, Eva decided to bring Laura to New Orleans to live with her, thinking to whisk her away from the poverty of Big Lake. She said, “It’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor man.” That venture didn’t last too long with Laura. She packed her bags and went back home, saying Momma and Papa needed her there.

When they started dating, Elza was working at the Civilian Conservation Corp, (commonly known as CC camp) in Hackberry. Then he joined the National Guard, and started a job working with his dad at the Gas Company. He lived in Lake Charles then. On December 7, 1941 when World War II started, the National Guard was mobilized into the regular Army. He was first sent to Camp Blanding, FL for basic training.

Laura was a senior (11th grade) and had her class ring, when Elza came home on a leave and they decided to get married. They went to see Father Robichaux. Since they did not have time to announce the “marriage banns”, He advised them to get married in a civil ceremony, and get their marriage blessed later. On January 7, 1942 they rode to Lake Charles with Adia and Junius as witnesses, and Momma went along to sign her “X” giving Laura permission to marry since she was not yet 16.

Laura continued to go to school and live with Momma and Papa until the Army would start sending allotment checks. Elza was sent to a base in Texas where Laura could go for a brief visit. Other times he got leaves to go home. When he was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi at Hattiesburg, she was able to go live with him. Then they moved to Camp Pickett, Virginia. There Laura got pregnant when she was 17, but she didn’t write home about it. In early 1944 Elza was shipped overseas, and Laura moved back with Momma and Papa. Everyone was surprised to see she was 5 months pregnant.

Laura’s blood pressure had shot up so labor was induced three weeks early, but then birthing went pretty fast for a first baby. Janice was born June 26, 1944 while Elza was fighting in his first major battle. His double first cousin, Lina sent him a telegram announcing the birth. Janice was named by her godmother, Ada Granger, after one of a set of triplets born in Beaumont, Texas. Laura got free hospital care because Elza was in the service. She stayed in St. Patrick's Hospital about a week in a ward with five other women. Laura returned to the home place with Janice, laying her with a pillow in a small cardboard box, facing the wood stove, making her cheeks rosy.

Laura would write daily to Elza. He sent an oil painting of his face home which Laura hung on the wall. As Janice grew old enough to understand, Laura pointed to the picture and told her daughter, “Daddy.” Janice had lots of relatives living within 2 or 3 miles that visited her: aunts, uncles, cousins—the closest being Uncle Dulva, Aunt Olivia, Pete, and Sis. And of course they actually lived in the same house with MereMere (Frances), PerePere (Poleet), and Raleigh. Laura wrote to Elza everyday. Soon she had her two brothers also in the military: Charlie and Lawrence. Momma couldn't read or write but she said, "If you can write everyday to your husband, you will also write to your brothers every day." Laura thought to herself, "now what can I possibly write to my brothers every day?"

One day Laura had an idea. She wrote a letter to Elza as if it were from his little daughter he had never met. Elza loved it and immediately wrote back. This is the letter:

"Oct.23rd 1944, My Loving Daughter, Hello there, Sunshine, it was really quite a surprise to hear from you so soon, and one of the sweetest letters I have ever read, and to know who it comes from really wants to make a daddy want to go home, so, your mother told me about you being a big girl now. By your picture I'll agree with her very much. As far as being the best daddy in this world, I'll try my very best not to disappoint you, Honey, and to live up to what Mother tells you quite often about me, I'm sure. I know just how Mother is when you get cross at times. She'll get worried I know, but please, Honey, don't get her worried if you can help it, she's worried enough about Daddy as it is. Don't worry about Mother dropping you when she gives you a bath. I know she's very careful, and I'm also very very proud of you both, and my love for you all just keeps growing all the time. So Mother is teaching you to say your little prayers already, huh? Well, Sugar, that's one thing you can't learn too soon, and I think it's a very wonderful little prayer. I am praying very hard too. I know some day my prayers will be answered, and I'll be home to see you for my very first time. That will be the greatest day of my life, and I hope, Darling, that I never have to be far from you all any more. You don't understand, being you are so young yet. The reason for Daddy being out here now is so that your happiness is never broken by war such as this in the future, and that you young people may have peace and enjoy life like you should, instead of being apart the best part of your life. So, Honey, never stop waiting for me. I'll be home after this is all over, but just in case something should happen to me, Baby, always listen to mother. Don't give her too much trouble. She's the sweetest mother in this whole world, and you only have one of those , and never another. We both love you with our whole heart, and always will. Always remember: where ever I fight, no matter where, I'll always know what I'm fighting for, and understand why. You both will always be in my heart, so that's why I keep going: to know you all will be waiting for my return. With love and happiness to go with it, what more does a daddy want? So, Baby, remember always be good for Mother, and don't give her too much trouble. She's swell, Baby. She's been a good wife to Daddy, and have always been true to him, and Honey, she'll always stand by you like she always did with me. You can depend on her, Sugar. Always and in every way she can help you, she's always willing to do so. So Honey, sleep tight, say your little prayers with Mother. I'd give almost anything in this world to be with you both, but Honey there's a lots of work for Daddy to do yet. Don't wait for me until the work is well-done, like it should have been done 25 years ago. Maybe we wouldn't be apart now. May God be with us all always. I am sending you both all my love and many sweet kisses. I remain as ever your unseen daddy, but pray it's not forever, Sugar. Sweet dreams and a great big hug to both. Tell Mother "Hello" for me and give her my love. Daddy

P.S. By your picture Mother sent me, I can understand why everybody is so crazy in love with you. If it wouldn't be for Mother, you'd be the sweetest baby in this world, but, Honey, Mother comes first for Daddy. You'll understand when you get older, Sugar. Night and may God bless you."

Elza fought in two more major battles and was gone for 18 months altogether. Janice’s birth gave him enough points to get out of the service. (Elza said he was in the military for 4 years, 8 months, 12 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 10 seconds!) What a happy homecoming that was! When Janice was told, “This is Daddy” she turned and looked at the oil painting of him that was on the wall.

Soon their first son, Elza Gilbert, Jr. was on the way. When the time of the birth drew near, Laura’s blood pressure shot up very high again, but he came so fast, he was born in the wheelchair as Laura was being wheeled into the delivery room on August 1, 1946. So hospital staff called the new baby, “Wheeler”!

When Janice was three and Gilbert was still an infant, Elza and Laura bought a tiny two-bedroom house on Tupelo Street. When they bought it, there was no indoor bathroom, but progress was on its way. When the time came, a part of each bedroom was cut off to make their first indoor bathroom in-between. The Guidrys: Lovina, Mallius, and Richard lived for a time in a camper in the Demary's back yard. Elza’s brother, Oreda, and Laura’s brother, Charlie shared the house with them. This is how Charlie met his future bride, a beautiful neighbor, Joyce Fontenot.

Charlie's college was interrupted by his military service at the end of WW II. He spent some time in Japan where he became friends with a clothing store owner. There he got his hands on some white silk cloth, and brought it home with him. When his military service was over, he moved in with the Demary's. He advertised a typewriter for sale. Joyce and her mother went to look at the typewriter. Joyce was due to graduate from high school in a couple of months. Later, Charlie shyly asked her out. He was 23 and had never been on a date. They had a whirlwind courtship, and he proposed to her on her graduation night. When she accepted, in addition to a ring, Charlie gave her the white silk cloth he got in Japan. He said, "I want you to make your wedding dress out of this," which is what she did. They were married on August 2, 1947. Now that the war was over and things were settling down, they got to take part in the Cajun custom of a Wedding Dance. It was held in Big Lake. Their entire entourage marched in as they paraded around the hall. After this march, the band played a special song and only the wedding party could dance. Then the entire community joined in. The dance lasted until midnight, after which the bride and groom went to their secret honeymoon place.

The house on Tupelo had a space heater in the kitchen area. Laura, wearing a flared skirt, was standing in front of it warming herself when the skirt caught fire. As the flames leaped higher she didn't panic but held the skirt away from herself. Elza smothered the flames with his bare hands.

A couple of movie houses on Ryan Street were very near Tupelo Street, and it was a common site on the weekend to see several families walking together to see a movie, then walk home.

For awhile Elza and Laura's mode of transportation was an old Model A Ford. It had a starter on the floor. Once when Elza and Laura decided to take Gilbert and Janice for a drive and visit in the country, Janice crawled on the floor and pressed the starter. The car jerked forward startling her dad who was putting water in the radiator. After that, the car never would start, and the idea of a visit had to be abandoned.

Laura and Elza were very good parents, naturally wanting their children to have advantages they were denied because of poverty. They had Christmas trees with ornaments and bubbling lights, and Santa’s visits were anxiously anticipated. Laura and Elza may as well forget about sleeping on the night before Christmas because Janice and Gilbert were up before daybreak shooting cap pistols and excitedly playing with their toys.

When Janice was six and Gilbert was four, along came Gary David on April 20, 1950, named after the actor Gary Cooper. Always a sweet, thoughtful child, Laura often referred to him as her “Gentle Blond Giant”.

Around the same time, neighbors Cliff and Marjorie Savoie had a son named Ricky, one of Gary’s first playmates. Another was a little boy named Clark who Laura kept while his mother worked.

Then came the project that made the Demary children the envy of every kid in the neighborhood. Elza, a house painter, and neighbor Cliff Savoie, a carpenter, built the Demary children a playhouse, about 8’ X 10’. The kitchen had a genuine stove from a small house trailer (though not hooked up) with a lower cabinet to put a dishpan on top and dishes inside. The kitchen was separated from the living room/bedroom by two little snack bars. Elza made two doll beds and a couple of chairs, while Laura made feather mattresses, pillows, coverlets, and curtains. There were steps leading to the door, and even a house number next to the door. After that, every kid in the neighborhood was there playing from sunup to sundown.

The Demary family was quickly outgrowing their tiny home on Tupelo Street. Elza so badly wanted to buy property in Big Lake to live again in the country with a few farm animals to look after, but after Laura saw how convenient it was to live in town next to shopping, medical attention, and entertainment; she did not want to return to that life. They compromised by buying an acre of land right outside the city limits on Leger Road. This piece of property was still convenient to the city, but space enough for a fenced in chicken yard and where Elza could also have a milk cow. By that time the playhouse was not used so much, so they thought of another use for it, got it on a trailer, and hauled it to the new property.

First, they built a one-car garage with a small separate room that would later serve as a tool shed. This would serve as a shelter to live in temporarily while Elza built the house evenings and weekends, after his day job of house painting. The tool shed was the temporary kitchen with a stove, fridge, and sink; while the garage part was the living room by day, transforming to a bedroom at night: sofa, fold-away bed, and Elza’s Army cot opened. Family and friends helped to frame up the house. Elza worked very hard to complete the kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Then the family moved in, and Elza slowly finished their dream house: three bedrooms (eventually a fourth), two baths, living room, den, modern kitchen. The den later became the fourth bedroom when a large den was added to the back of the house.

When Gary started school and catechism, he looked a lot older than his six years. The first day of school, he went to the bathroom, then couldn’t find his classroom. A teacher found him wandering in the hall and tried to put him in a fourth grade classroom. The teacher declared, “I’ve never seen that child before!” She was right. He was just a big-framed kid. Elza hoped he would be a football player because of his size. So Gary played football for a while, but he didn’t really like it. He ended up hurting his back which possibly affected him later in life. Also he had a leg injury as a child which didn’t heal properly. In later years Gary worked on a turn-around at a plant. They liked his work and wanted to hire him permanently, but his injuries from younger years kept him from passing his physical.

This house on Leger Road was where they lived when their third son Reginald Duane (named after an Army buddy of Elza’s) was born. “Reggie” enjoyed listening to his dad play the guitar. As soon as he was strong enough, he’d pull himself up on the bars of his baby bed, and bounce up and down to the rhythm of the music.

Laura eventually got her GED at LaGrange. Her hope was that at least one of her children would get a college degree. She would have been happy to borrow money to pay their college. But it was not to be.

Years before John and Meyon Demarets had a house with a fireplace and a front porch in Big Pasture, but they were ready to build a new house across the ferry. Eva bought their house and 2 acres of land in Big Pasture for her parents. She and her husband, Edwin Grabenheimer lived in New Orleans, but they wanted a house in that area for when they visited. So they put a house at the back part of the 2 acres.

Francoise and Semar had likely never celebrated a wedding anniversary, but as their fiftieth on October 31, 1960 drew closer, she longed to do something she had heard about: re-say their vows. She mentioned this to Eva, and Eva and other family members made it happen. Francoise and Semar's front screened porch was where the vows were said with Father Levasseur officiating. Then a reception was held.

Janice began dating Robert Crador when she was 15. When she was a senior in high school, they married on December 2, 1961. They bought a trailer from Dean and Phoebe Guillory and pulled it in Laura and Elza’s yard to live in while she was completing her senior year at LaGrange. Right before graduation, Chenault Air Force base closed down, pulling the rug out from Lake Charles economy. They got what they could for the trailer and moved to a rent house across the ferry in Big Lake. Robert and Janice soon provided her parents with their first four grandchildren:

Mary Ellen, born 9-28-1962

Richard “Ricky” Allen, born10-8-1963

David Troy, born 1-26-1967

Laurie Rose Frances, born 8-18-1969

Reggie often had a large group of neighborhood kids gathered in the backyard playing baseball or some other sport. He and his dad enjoyed doing things together. Elza, for his part enjoyed making things for his sons: “rubber guns” (piece of wood: gun-shaped, clothes pin, stretchy piece of inter tube) or kites, etc. Whatever he made his boys, he ended up making for the neighborhood kids too.

Elza, Laura, Gary, and Reggie once took a vacation trip to Arkansas, renting a cabin on park grounds. They also enjoyed camping, fishing, crabbing, and swimming. They got a small camper and sometimes went to Bundicks Lake, Longville, or Sam Houston State Park.

Elza and Laura often got together with some of the neighbors at the home of Laura’s cousin, Vivian and her husband Alfred. There Alfred and Elza played music while the others danced.

Gilbert quit school at age 17. Elza's friend, Jimmy Pelafigue, was married to Laura's cousin, Mildred Marcantel. Jimmy had two floor covering businesses in the south Lake Charles area. He hired Gilbert to work full-time at his South City Floor Covering on Ryan Street. Jimmy had recently bought Alcide Thibodeaux's house and property on the island in Big Lake. He wanted Gilbert to take care of the place in exchange for room and board, so Gilbert moved there.

Gilbert eventually joined the Army Reserve and took his Basic Training at Fort Polk. When that was completed, Gilbert worked all summer for United Geographical, a seismograph crew that also employed his cousin, Jerry Demary; and his brother-in-law, Robert Crador.

After that, Gilbert started working for Frank Taylor's Carpets and Floors in Sulphur, living behind the shop in one of Frank's apartments. Gilbert met and dated Frank's cousin, Galyn Seavey, a divorcee with a young son, Charlie Milliger.

After Reggie started school, Laura wanted to help supplement their income from Elza’s work in construction, the steadiness of which often depended on the weather. Laura got a job in the meat market of George Theriot’s Grocery on Ryan Street. She liked the work, made new friends, and often made deliveries to other George Theriot stores. Often people from Big Lake shopped at Theriot’s and recognized Laura behind the meat counter, calling her by her nickname “Doll”. Earl Featherston, the meat market manager said, “Those old men are flirting with you!” She replied, “Those people probably don’t know me by any other name!”

Sadly, Laura had an accident there while making veal cutlets, getting some fingers of one hand caught in the meat tenderizer because there was no safety guard. The injury left some permanent damage. After therapy and healing, the State of LA offered Laura help with starting a home business. She chose a nursery/daycare center because she had a big house and a big yard. She was licensed and able to take in up to 17 children from age two to four years in her Babyland Nursery & Daycare. Word got around and she took in the children of teachers and those of McNeese students. The entire family enjoyed the children and helped with them. She was able to hire help when needed.

Elza’s dad, Donate, was no longer able to live alone, so moved in to the household. In younger years, he and Poleet had trapped together, selling furs from muskrats and minks and other animals., and Donate 's first wife was Oraline Hebert, sister of Frances. Oraline died in 1917 giving birth to Donate's only daughter, who also died. When Laura was born, Donate became her godfather, and she had great respect for him. Donate, for his part enjoyed being with his family in his later years. He died peacefully there with Gary by his side in February of 1969.

The "Togo" Granger property had been bought years before by a Dr. Digilia, but now in 1969, the good doctor was putting it up for re-sale. Gilbert decided to buy it and told his parents. Elza and Laura were thrilled this place would be back in the Granger-Demary Families! Laura's sister, Eva, found out about it and decided she would buy it instead. When Dr. Digilia realized there was tension between Gilbert and his aunt over the property, he changed his mind about selling it at this time. Gilbert's interest had been because to him this was ancestral property; but it was not so for Eva Faulk. Laura and Elza were very upset with Eva over this. (**the REST OF THE STORY)

Then tragedy struck.

Saturday, September 13, 1969 Elza fell down unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. The next morning he was awake, knew everybody, could move his arms and legs, and could answer questions. He had been shrimping the day before, so Dr. Guilbeau concluded he must have had a little too much sun. Then Dr. Guilbeau left on a trip, turning Elza’s care over to Dr. Anderson, GP. Elza’s symptoms rapidly deteriorated until he he was no longer able to walk, eat, communicate, or recognize family. Dr. Anderson concluded he’d had a nervous breakdown and got a psychiatrist to observe him. After careful observation, this doctor said, “There’s something very wrong with this man, but he has NOT had a nervous breakdown.” Family wanted to get him to the VA Hospital in Houston, but needed his attending physician to authorize it. A family member contacted Congressman Jesse Knowles who tried to pave the way by contacting the VA Hospital and Dr. Anderson. Dr. Anderson decided to ignore everyone, and wouldn’t return calls.

By this time, Elza had not eaten for four days. Janice, who had a one month old baby , Laurie Rose, at home, visited her dad and brought him a bowl of shrimp fricassee’ and rice. Uncle Phillip Granger was Elza’s family caregiver for the day. He and Janice were delighted to see Elza was hungry and was devouring the food, but what they hadn’t known was he couldn’t swallow. He was storing food in his cheeks like a chipmunk. All that food had to be physically removed.

Since the doctor wouldn’t return calls, Elza's son, Gilbert, and his son-in-law, Robert Crador, went to his office to try to see him. They were told he wasn’t in yet. They said, “We’ll wait.” They sat in the waiting room in sight of the back door to the office so they could see if the doctor came in or left. He WAS there, and he was caught, so he had them come in to his office. Apparently the desperate, grieving family had not followed the correct protocol to get Elza sent to the VA Hospital. So then Dr. Anderson authorized for an ambulance to take him on Thursday to the Houston VA, and said, “Let me know what they find out.”

Upon Elza's arrival, hospital personnel immediately ran tests and found his problem: an aneurysm—a blood vessel had ruptured in his head. They said, “He’s already had brain damage. We can do surgery on him, but since he hasn’t had nourishment for days, we need to build him up a little first.”

Robert Crador and his dad, Olphy, took Janice to see Elza on Saturday, September 20th. Laura, Gilbert, and Gary were already there. By then Elza had lost consciousness, developed a very high fever, and was packed in ice in an attempt to lower his fever. That night Janice got the call that Elza had died about 11 p.m. Gary was with him when he died. Reggie was 12 years old, and had not been able to see his dad that last week of his life.

ELZA GILBERT DEMARY, SR. was a man of faith. He was kind, gentle, talented, generous to a fault. He was a real "cut-up" and had a wonderful sense of humor. Heaven gained a good man.

So many people felt such a void in their lives with Elza's passing, but they did their best to move forward.

Laura felt Elza's presence constantly by her side. She felt a deep depression, but she couldn't let that take over. She had to be strong for Reggie and the others.

Reggie played Little League Baseball for awhile. Then at Lagrange Jr. in the eighth grade, he took a string orchestra enrichment class under instructor, Pat Chafin, learning to play tunes on the violin. He knew his dad had to be smiling down on that!

Gary graduated from LaGrange Sr., and then took drafting classes at SOWELA Tech. He bought a trailer house from his cousin Mary Ellen Newman Corbello. He moved it into the trailer park on Hill Road near Highland Memory Gardens Cemetary. Through the next several years, he rented out an extra room to different relatives, including his cousin, Steve Demary, and his nephew, Rick Crador,

Gilbert and Galyn married and opened their own floor covering business.

Their beautiful baby girl, Aimee Patrice, was born 10-24-1970.

Laura went out with lady friends and cousins and sometimes dated.

On March 3, 1971, she married a widower who had a home in Iowa and also a college age daughter. She sold their dream house that Elza built, and after paying hospital and funeral expenses, she shared the proceeds with her four children as required by law. She and Reggie moved to Iowa where Reggie began high school.

It didn't take long to realize a mistake had been made. The marriage was an abusive situation. For her safety and Reggie's, they had to leave.

Laura rented a house near LaGrange Sr. High where Reggie enrolled.

FAULK REUNIONS-The Faulk siblings began having family reunions at the home of Betty and Lawrence every March 29, Laura and Lawrence's birthday. The siblings, with their children and grandchildren looked forward to the event each year. Laura provided a case of fryers, while Lawrence provided pork, beef, and deer. Lawrence and his son, Lee, did all the barbecuing. Laura made Lawrence's birthday cake, and Betty made Laura's. Betty and her daughters prepared all the side dishes, while the other women provided desserts. It should be noted that any of the cakes or pies could have won top awards at any food show, Olivia's lemon pie, Beco's frosted brownies, Laura's coconut layer cake, and Betty's buttermilk chocolate cake-to name a few. Olivia's tiny pecan pies were a special favorite.

JARDELL-Then Laura met handsome B. W. "Ben" Jardell, Sr., a widower 13 years older than she. He had two grown, married children, Frankie and Billy, and some grandchildren. He was a game warden over eight parishes. They danced beautifully together.

They married May 18, 1974, and moved to his house in Sulphur on Ruth Street. Reggie was allowed to complete his schooling at LaGrange Senior High and graduated in 1975.

Ben and Laura bought a camp at Bundicks Lake. The happy couple and Reggie enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping together. Grandchildren and other family and friends often spent the weekend there. Laura's grandson, David, was one of their frequent guests. Elza's cousin, Lovina Guidry and her husband, Mallius, bought a camp next door.

Reggie began dating a divorcee, Linda Morris who had a twelve-year-old daughter, Kimberly Ann Miller. Reggie and Linda were married June 1, 1982. They had two children:

Kent Brandon, born 6-6-1983.

Kristie Renee, born 8-26-1986.

The kids enjoyed going to spend the night at PawPaw Ben's.

Laura's granddaughter, Mary Ellen Crador, married Randy Mitchell Thomas on July 14, 1983.

Terry Mitchell Thomas, born 10-23-1987.

DAVID TROY CRADOR joined the US Navy and served from 1985-1990 as a Hospital Corpsman/Emergency Field Medicine.

In 1987, after nearly a lifetime of never being sick a day in his life, not even with a headache, Ben was diagnosed with acute leukemia. After that, he couldn't seem to have a "well" day. Mr. B. W. Jardell, died March 9, 1988. Rick Crador and Sheryl Turner had married March 4, 1988, but cut their honeymoon short to attend the funeral. PawPaw Ben was the grandfather Laura's grandchildren remembered. Heaven gained another good man.

Ben's house and their camp were later sold.

Rick and Sheryl had 2 children:

Evan Michael, born 10-19-1990.

Madelyn Elise, born 11-15-1994.

Laurie Crador married Charles "Skip" Carlin, Jr. on October 14, 1989. They had 4 children:

Jake Allen, born 4-7-1993.

Jessie Nicole, born 2-24-1995.

Jordan Allen & Jayson Allen, born 6-27-2000.

Laura eventually bought a house at 809 McCall Street.

TRAHAN-Once Laura, her cousin Azelina, and some other lady friends went together to the dance at the VFW. A man came up to their group and said, "I want to dance with that blue dress." He introduced himself as Dick Trahan. He was color-blind, but one of the few colors he could actually see was blue. Laura was the one with the blue dress.

They soon discovered they had many things in common. They both: were Catholic, were widowed, had children and grandchildren, had relatives in Grand Lake, loved dancing and the same kind of music, had ties to a Cajun band: The Hackberry Ramblers, enjoyed social events and card games, were close in age, and both had Cajun French as their first language.

Dick was president of a group of senior citizens called "The Singles Club." This club held a dance every Tuesday at the Woodmen of the World building. They celebrated every occasion or holiday with appropriate costumes and decorations. There was always a band hired for these dances, and dance contests were held. Dick and Laura were awarded trophies for winning various dance contests.

They wanted to get married, but there was a problem. Laura got a monthly income from Ben's state retirement. A law involving only a few state retiree widows stated if they married, they would lose their retiree benefits.

Randy Roach was a state representative at the time. Laura and Dick went to his office seeking help to get that law changed. Randy was glad to try since it unfairly targeted just certain retirees, but not all. The first time he brought it up for a vote, it failed. However he tried again, and this time it passed.

They were joined in Holy Matrimony in a private ceremony on April 12, 1994 by Reverend John Giles, a priest married and with a family who had all converted to Catholicism.

Aimee Demary married Damon Hoffpauir on April 2, 1993. They had 3 children:

Alexander was born and died on 11-3-1997.

Alex Paul, born on 9-16-1998.

Darbee Patrice, born on 11-29-2000.

Elza Gilbert III "Tuffy" Demary is the father of Laiken Danielle, born on 9-18-2001 whose mother is Evette Danielle Davis.

Tuffy married Jamie Lynn Thibodeaux 12-17-2005. Their son, Elza Gilbert IV "Teddy," born 12-19-2006.

Dick Trahan discovered within himself a special gift from God: auctioneering. He was much sought after by church bazaars, charity events, and fundraisers of all kinds. He always volunteered his time. He reasoned: it is a gift; I need to give back. Some churches presented him plaques of appreciation to honor his services.

Dick had been following an exercise prescription from his heart doctor for many years, namely to go walking in the Mall 4 or 5 days a week. Laura often accompanied him. They met up with other regulars and visited as they walked.

THE FAULK FAMILY REUNIONS had started in the 1970s and went on for nearly 20 years, during which time the number attending grew and grew until more than 70 people were in attendance. Then Lawrence was diagnosed with chronic lymphoid leukemia, CLL. After that, they were only able to have immediate family. Finally, Betty and Lawrence and Dick and Laura got together to boil crawfish, just the 4 of them.

Laura's favorite form of exercise was always dancing. At one point, they were going dancing 3 or 4 nights a week, always to a live band. They were very fond of several local bands, but one of their favorites was the HACKBERRY RAMBLERS, partly because they had ties to some of the band members. Laura had 2 cousins in the band: Johnny Faulk, whose motto, "Make em dance," was adopted by the band and Glen Croker, the lead singer. Dick's first wife, Audry was related to the wife of another band member, Johnny Farque. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award. Laura and Dick were invited to a home in University Place where a documentary was being filmed of the Hackberry Ramblers. The next morning found Dick and Laura on the front page of the Lake Charles American Press, jitterbugging to the music!

About 5 years after Lawrence's diagnosis, Laura, too, was diagnosed with CLL. Though they shared the same disease, their treatments were completely different. Laura's doctor told her this cancer was not likely to be fatal. This proved to be correct. Lawrence eventually contracted lung cancer, causing his death at 75 years of age on December 8, 2001. Laura lived on for 19 more years.

Sometimes because of Laura's CLL, they weren't as active as they had been. Then they started playing "Set Back," a fun card game, that required 4 players. They played twice a week with Cliff and Margaret LeBleu one night and Gary and Lovina Guidry the other. The guys always partnered with each other against the girls. Sometimes the card games were very serious even though no money was involved. The guys always seemed to win the majority of the games, probably because they took more chances in their bidding, sometimes even "shooting the moon." This was an especially hard pill for Laura to swallow. Sometimes she even hinted they should "take turns" winning!

Laura's granddaughter, Kristy, had a pet cat that was killed on the street. Around that time two orange tabby strays began hanging around Laura and Dick's place on McCall. They thought the cats to be mother and son. Then the female was killed on the street. Laura said about the male, "Let's feed this one, and keep it for Kristy." But that was not to be. Laura and Dick became attached to the cat and named him "Stripe." The vet estimated his age at 8 months. The back yard had bird feeders and lots of birds and squirrels, but they soon scattered because Stripe was a very good hunter. Besides the obvious, he also killed snakes. In wintertime when there were cold temperatures, Laura could not be convinced that Stripe had a fur coat and was accustomed to being outside. So at these times, Laura had her very first indoor pet.

Dick and Laura both began experiencing health problems. Laura needed treatments for her CLL because her hemoglobin level would get very low, causing anemia. Dick began having a lot more problems with his heart. Dr. King White told him about a certain procedure being perfected that he hoped would be in time to help Dick. However Dick's trips to the E R were more frequent, until finally he could no longer hang on. He died March 27, 2010. This was the paw paw the great-grandchildren remembered best. Heaven gained another good man.

Katie Lynd Demary married Scott Vincent Benoit on June 19, 2010. They had 2 children:

Lillian Elizabeth, born on 3-12-2011.

Austin Scott, born on 5-9-2015.

STRIPE was a comfort to Laura. When she took off her slippers, Stripe dove head first into them. She baby-talked to him calling him her "little man" and herself his maw maw. Gary complained he had a nephew who was a cat!

Laura's family stuck closer to her. Janice and Robert sometimes played "Set Back" with Gary and his mother.

For many years a family-friends group met once a week at Lovina Guidry's to drink good coffee and play Mexican Train Dominoes. Gilbert, Jackie, Gary, Janice, and Robert were members of this gathering. Lovina was in her nineties, but sharp as a tack! She could talk on the phone and play cards or dominoes at the same time. Laura often joined that group.

On June 1, 2015, Robert Allen Crador, Laura's son-in-law, died suddenly of a heart attack after a hip-replacement surgery. Throughout the 53 and a half years Robert and Janice had been married, he and Laura were often at odds with each other. They had called a truce only 3 weeks before, deciding they respected and loved each other. Don't you just love the way God works?

After Dick died, Gary or Reggie helped their mom get Stripe to the vet when needed. He was getting older and gained weight. Then he started a new thing: in the middle of the night, Stripe ran up and down the hall making loud noises. Laura decided she needed to find him a good home, preferably with other cats. Her cousin, Carol Demary, volunteered to take him. She had some outside cats she fed at her back door. Their shelter was a small cabin in the corner of the yard which she made all cozy with blankets and fluff. Laura thought this would be perfect, but she decided to get him checked at the vet first. Reggie brought her and Stripe to the vet where they got the bad news he had advanced diabetes, and would need medication more than once a day. Laura could not handle him at all, so she had to let him go. RIP, Stripe, December 26, 2017. Reggie brought his mother home, then had to go to his job. Janice stopped by for a visit and found her mother a basket case, crying uncontrollably. Janice stayed and spent the night and cleaned out everything Stripe.

Gary and Janice took turns spending the night whenever she needed help. She had more frequent problems with her health: high blood pressure, anxiety, Urinary Tract Infections, even a fast growing cancer on her leg during the Covid pandemic, which Dr. Michael Cormier found and immediately had removed. Also, she needed a walker to get around. Anytime she had to stay in the hospital, Janice spent every night with her. The main thing she did not want was to go to a nursing home! It would have been hard for any of her 4 children to move in with her because of other commitments. Janice and Gary were able to take turns staying at night, in case she needed anything. She was able to hire a young cousin, Kimberly Ryder, to come during the day to run errands, bring Laura to non-medical appointments, and tend to whatever she needed. But to Laura she was more than that, she was a valued friend.

Then came warnings for the Storm of all storms: HURRICANE LAURA. They needed to evacuate. Gary drove his truck. Janice drove her mother in the 1999 Buick LeSabra Laura had given her when she could no longer drive. The first motel they went to was in Kinder, but it was not suitable because it was not far enough from the powerful storm building up in the Gulf of Mexico, and it had no generator for when the power would go off. Family and friends were going on to Bunkie, LA. The problem was finding a vacancy. Laura's great-grandson, Mitchell Thomas, found one for them on the second floor of a small motel with no generator and no elevator. Gary and Laura both had mobility problems. Laura could in no way climb the stairs. She sat on her walker while 2 precious men, Ernie Horn and a stranger carried her up the stone steps to a place of shelter for the night. The storm hit landfall on August 27, 2020. (It was reported the instruments used to measure the strength of the storm broke when they passed the mark of Category 4.) The power went off, but they were safe. The next day Laura's granddaughter, Mary Johnson (mother of Mitch Thomas), while staying in a motel with no electricity, found one vacant room in a motel WITH a generator, and graciously gave it to her invalid grandmother. Now that the storm had passed, other vacancies became available. Soon family members and friends joined them at that motel.

Several went back to the Lake Charles and Cameron Parish areas to check damages. What they found was destruction beyond belief! Reggie and his family had weathered the storm in Laura's home. That was a good thing because it would be nearly a year before their own home was livable. Laura's yard was piled so high with branches, no one could drive in or out. Gary lived in a trailer park that looked like a war zone afterwards, so he lost his home. Janice's home was under one roof with 2 apartments she rented out. The roof blew off, leaving 3 families homeless, with most of their furniture and belongings destroyed. Power poles were laying in the streets, making it hard to get from one place to another. Trees crashed into homes. Many churches were completely destroyed. Most roofs needed to be changed. Street signs were gone. Janice's son Rick and his wife Sheryl returned the next day after the storm. They lived in a nice subdivision, but with no street names, it was hard to tell where they were.

The group staying at the motel in Bunkie felt blessed to have a temporary shelter, with many conveniences nearby. By Labor Day, Laura was feeling really bad with frequent trips to the bathroom and feeling very weak until she could hardly walk, even with her walker. Finally she reached the point where she could no longer take another step. With Covid restrictions in full force, it was hard to find a hospital that would allow Janice to accompany her. The next day it was decided Gary would go meet Reggie at his mother's home, while Laura and Janice would go to the hospital ER at Opelousas General.

After tests, she was diagnosed with a severe UTI. After 4 days of antibiotics and other treatments she still could not walk, so was sent to another location for 2 weeks of intensive physical therapy., where Janice was allowed to stay in the room with her. While there, Laura was administered the Anointing of the Sick by a local priest, but walking again just wasn't happening.

While they were there, a church group from Sale Street Baptist Church, led by Tom and Barbara Thomas, generously volunteered to clear the branches in Laura's front yard that nearly hid the house.

Janice drove Laura to her house, not knowing how she would get her out of the car after she got there. Laura had always been very firm about not wanting to ever be in a nursing home. None in the Lake Charles area would be open for months. Those open in surrounding areas had Covid restrictions that would not allow any visitors for more months. Laura would not survive that for very long. When she arrived, Reggie and his family and Gary went out into the carport to greet and hug her, while Janice proceeded to call her physician, Dr. Jason Langhoffer. Dr. Langhoffer said to bring her in to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for a few days observation. Janice had a consultation with him. He said she may never walk again. Facts had to be faced. Louisiana Hospice placed a hospital bed for Laura in her living room. They guided the family with Laura's care. Friends of Janice's helped and supported her as she learned this caregiving job for which she had never been trained.

Then came Hurricane Delta. Many residents evacuated again, but this family could not. The large oak tree in Laura's front yard posed a real threat. Gary and Reggie managed to buy several sheets of plywood, and aided by Kent, Reggie's son, nailed the wood over all the windows. Thankfully, the storm was not as severe as Hurricane Laura and made landfall a little further east. Everyone in this little home was safe. THANK YOU, LORD! Members of the Louisiana Hospice team who had not suffered much damage from Hurricane Laura were hit harder by this hurricane, so were out of commission for awhile.

Christ the King Catholic Church would not be usable again. While their future was decided, Father RoJo held Mass at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church on Sunday afternoons. Janice attended, and after Mass told Fr. RoJo of her mother's condition and that she'd had the Anointing of the Sick at Opelousas General. He said, "if you'd like, I can go administer the Last Sacrament." So it was arranged that very day. In those days, Laura mostly slept, some days ate very little, and was not responding very much to anything. Gary and Janice gathered close around Laura's bedside while Father administered the sacrament. At one point, Father RoJo spoke directly to Laura, saying, I have permission from our Holy Father the Pope to grant you an Apostolic Pardon for all your sins. Do you want this? Laura responded immediately with a very strong, "YES!" Gary said, "ALRIGHT!"

Fr. RoJo told Janice later this blessing could only be administered under certain circumstances: 1) if the priest can see death is very near and 2) if the person can answer for themselves. Janice was so happy for her mother.

Days passed with not much change. Then on November 8, 2020, around 7:30 p.m., having had no discomfort, no pain medication all day, she was there one moment and in a whisper - gone.

Rest in Peace

LAURA FAULK DEMARY TRAHAN.

THE PRECEDING WAS A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND LOVES OF LAURA MAE FAULK BY HER DAUGHTER, JANICE DEMARY CRADOR, FROM AN INTERVIEW WHEN LAURA WAS IN HER EARLY SEVENTIES. OTHER EARLY LIFE INFO CAME FROM AN INTERVIEW OF LAURA'S BROTHER, CHARLES J. FAULK, BY HIS GRANDSON, BRENT LYONS.

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS/CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WAS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED.

***INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS BY FAMILY MEMBERS***

JANICE DEMARY CRADOR'S THOUGHTS ON:

**the REST OF THE STORY:

Daddy died one week after being stricken with an aneurysm in his head bursting. He and I talked on the phone the week before he got sick. At the time my fourth child was newborn and my oldest was 6. I was so busy, but glad to have a little chat with him. God did not reveal to me how important our conversation had been until 35 years later in 2004. Mom and Aunt Eva always seemed to be at odds about something. Aunt Eva had even tried to interfere with Mom buying her present house on 809 McCall Street. Mom, Mr. Dick, and I were discussing it when she said, "Your dad was mad at Aunt Eva when he died, and I don't want anything to do with her ever again!"

I said, "Mom, Daddy talked to me the week before he got sick. Though I didn't know too much about what he was saying at the time, he said, 'I'm not mad at your Aunt Eva. She's her own worst enemy, but she doesn't know that.'"

I said, "God made me remember it now so I could tell you: UNFORGIVENESS CANNOT GET INTO HEAVEN. Every time we say the "Our Father" we pray for God to forgive us as we forgive others. If we don't forgive, then we are not forgiven."

Then I gave Mom the "Healing Memories" prayer Father Sam Jacobs taught his flock. She really liked it and kept asking for more copies she could pass on to others. Copies of it were passed out at her funeral. This is it:

LORD, GO BACK INTO MY MEMORY AS I SLEEP. EVERY HURT THAT HAS EVER BEEN DONE TO ME-HEAL THAT HURT. EVERY HURT I HAVE EVER CAUSED TO ANOTHER PERSON, HEAL THAT HURT. ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN MY WHOLE LIFE, EVEN THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF--HEAL THOSE RELATIONSHIPS. IF I NEED TO GO TO ANYONE BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS SUFFERING FROM MY HAND, PLEASE BRING ME TO AN AWARENESS OF THAT PERSON.

I CHOOSE TO FORGIVE. GRANT THAT I BE FORGIVEN. REMOVE WHATEVER BITTERNESS MAY BE IN MY HEART, LORD, AND FILL THE EMPTY SPACES WITH YOUR LOVE. AMEN

Richard "Dick" Trahan--His Eulogy

My own dad died in 1969 at the age of 50. My youngest brother was only 12 years old at the time. I was told Mr. Dick lost his father at the same age. My dad, Elza, and Mr. Dick were alike in a lot of ways.

Things I Admired About Mr. Dick:

1. his faith--God always came First. During Lent, if he was well enough, he went to Mass and communion daily. Mom said he never forgot his mother's or Audry's (his first wife-mother of his six children) birthdays. On those dates, he offered his Holy Communion in remembrance of them.

2. his good positive attitude. He was the eternal optimist. He had hope he would get better until the day he died. He always did exactly what his doctor ordered him to do. This probably accounts for him surviving 23 years with a bad heart. This attitude extended to his treatment of other people. Mom has several chronic and devastating health problems. Whenever one or more of them would have her down, he always helped her get better, and then got her out of the house, playing cards, visiting with friends, dancing, or eating out. I'm so grateful to him for that.

3. He always treated everyone with kindness. He was subtle, and a mountain of tact and diplomacy.

4. He never met a stranger. When I was experiencing severe health problems several years ago, he offered to drive us to the Diagnostic Clinic in Houston where I had made an appointment because I could get no diagnosis here. Driving through Houston traffic seemed to pose no problem for him. So the three of us went several times for different procedures. Then when I was better and returning for checkups, Rob was working, so Mr. Dick drove me. Mom and I were very grateful as she was not well enough to make the trip herself.

What was truly amazing about those trips was: we never made one trip to Houston without Mr. Dick meeting up with someone he knew! He was like that joke where Boudreaux bragged to Thibodeaux that he knew people all over the world. They traveled to Italy. Thibodeaux was way out in a vast crowd where the pope could be seen in the distance with a few people looking out from a balcony. Thibodeaux tapped the shoulder of a complete stranger. He pointed to the balcony and said, "Do you know who that is?" The man said, "Well, I don't know who that is in the weird hat, but the guy next to him is--Boudreaux!"

5. Mr. Dick was a very good cook, and several times when Robert caught some nice catfish, we invited him over to make catfish courtbouillion. We'd line up all his ingredients for him and chop required onions and other vegetables. It was always Cajun perfection! I got a couple of his recipes published in the Faulk Family Cookbook. I think he was proud of that.

Recently, I was privileged to witness something so rare that I think most of the people in this room have never known it: Dick Trahan SPEECHLESS!

But let me start at the beginning: About 7 years ago I decided to tape-record some interviews of some of our older generation family members to let future generations know our Cajun history. I entitled Mr. Dick's interview, "Dick Trahan's First 75 years."

Last summer I bought a new computer that has capabilities I'm just ecstatic about. About 2 months before Christmas, I told Mr. Dick I had decided what I would give him for Christmas: a dvd about his life. I told him to gather all the pictures he wanted to put on it. After 2 or 3 weeks, he handed me a stack of photos, and I started scanning. The only photo he gave me of his father was so faded, it looked like a picture of a ghost. Also, it was not a young picture of him, while his mother's first photo looked like that of a teenager. I said,"Don't you have a better photo of your father?"

Yes, he had a beautiful one of his father and uncle hanging in the hall. I said, "And how about this photo of you, Audry, and all your kids? And don't you have some photos of your friends? And what about your grown grandkids entire families?"

Another couple of weeks, and he had all he could find. My Christmas party was about 10 days before Christmas. After the gifts were handed out, I announced we would show a couple of "movies" I had made. First I showed his dvd. I watched his face as he heard his own voice taped 7 years before ring out loud and clear, sharing stories about his childhood, and speaking about things that meant the most to him. The dvd was a little over 11 minutes long. As it ended with him auctioning, I watched the expression frozen on his face. His chin quivered a little, and there were tears in his eyes. He didn't say anything. Maybe I made a mistake. I said, "Here are enough copies for your kids and your sisters."

He called me later and said, "Thank you. You did a wonderful job."

I'll never forget the expression on his face. It's one of those things I'll take with me to the grave.

- ELZA GILBERT DEMARY, JR.

After Daddy built the house on Leger, he set about fulfilling his own dreams about living out in the country with a chicken yard and a milk cow. After he milked the cow, he tied with a rope attached to the ground so the cow would have fresh grass to eat in a big circle. Then Dad went to work, leaving instructions for me to fill a foot tub with fresh water and allow the cow to drink its fill. Once in a great while, there would be a reason Dad couldn't milk the cow and that was where I came in. I had to learn to milk the cow in case Dad couldn't.

When Janice and Robert got married and lived next door, Dad told him about a project he intended to tackle: making "home brew." I recall the recipe this way:

HOME BREW: 1 CAN PABST BLUE RIBBON MALT, A HANDFULL OF RICE, 5 LBS SUGAR, 2 YEAST CAKES, 10 GAL. WARM WATER.

STIR WELL TOGETHER, THEN DIVIDE INTO 2 LARGE CROCKS W/ THERMOMETERS. COVER WITH A TOWEL. ALLOW TO FERMENT. WHEN A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE IS REACHED, LADLE INTO STERILIZED BEER BOTTLES & CAP. Yield: 297 bottles. Then the cases were stored underneath the house to keep them cool.

When Dad wanted a refreshing drink after a hot day at work, he put a few ice cubes in a glass and poured a bottle of brew over it. When Dad wasn't around, I did the same thing! Dad started noticing the brew was going by awfully fast, so he started counting the bottles. Then I drank only part of a bottle and refilled with water and recapped. When Dad opened some of them, he said, "It's all gone flat. I'm not going to waste anymore time with that."

Once Dad and I went blackberry picking when we spied a female black mallard falling all over the place acting as if she were badly injured. We pretended to ignore her because we knew what she was doing. She had a nest nearby, and she was trying to lead us away from it. We took the eggs out of the nest, and brought them home to hatch them. We had quite a few large hens, but only one little bantam (miniature) chicken. The bantam chicken was terribly mistreated by the other chickens. Well, we made a nest for the duck eggs and put the little bantam setting on them. The ducks hatched and thought the bantam was their mother. They followed her all around. It didn't take them long to grow and observe how she was treated. The ducks began defending her, and soon the little bantam was the queen of the chicken yard!

NOTE from Janice: There was once also a bantam rooster that was very mean. Mom was afraid it would hurt a child in the neighborhood. She tried to get Dad to kill it, but he never seemed to get around to it. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. She was quite a sight to our neighbors whose backyards butted against the back of our acre. Somehow the rooster got out of the chicken yard, and there was Mom chasing it down with a hatchet!

- GARY DAVID DEMARY

DAD: One day Dad and I were watching “The Big Picture”. (It was a series of newsreels of World War II.) We were watching Higgins Boats unloading troops coming ashore on a Pacific Island, when Dad said he remembered that scene, and then he suddenly got excited and said that he saw himself in the newsreel! I looked, but there were too many faces and they were unloading too fast. So I didn’t see him.

One day I was looking at Dad’s ‘Company’ Album when he came by. I showed him a picture of a soldier in his foxhole with a dead Japanese soldier with a bayonet sticking in his chest. Dad said he remembered that picture because that foxhole was next to his. He said the Japanese had a hand grenade that was activated by popping the grenade on their helmets. One night they heard a bunch of popping sounds coming from the water because the foxholes were dug along the shoreline. The popping sounds were the Japanese activating the hand grenades before their coming attack. The picture of the dead Japanese was taken the next morning - the end results of the battle the night before.”

When I was a youngster, the whole family went to Baton Rouge to visit Aunt Eva. While we were there, we decided to tour the Capitol building. It was during the Earl K. Long Administration.

When Dad and I took the elevator to see the scenery from the top , we saw a plaque saying that Huey P. Long was shot in a certain hallway. Riding in the elevator wi us were two men in suits. Without thinking I said out loud that I remembered Dad saying earlier that they had killed the wrong Governor Long. Dad kind of looked a little shocked that I had said this, but the two men in suits started laughing so he didn’t say too much about it. (So for future reference, don’t say anything you don’t want repeated in an awkward situation, because children are like sponges and parrots. They soak up everything and may report it at the wrong time.)

HUNTING: Dad didn’t hunt much when I started hunting, but we did go hunting a few times. Once we were hunting on the west side of the Big Pond in the tall grass, when a flock of six teals flew by. We started shooting, and by the time we finished, there were five dead teal in the pond. Dad looked at me and said, “That’s the way it’s supposed to be done!”

One day I was hunting in Big Pasture. It was real foggy that day, and I was hunting with my Ithaca 20 gauge over and under. One teal flew out of the fog, and I shot it down. Having no dog, I climbed out of the boat blind and went to pick it up. On the way back to the blind, another teal flew out of the fog, and I shot it down, turned around to pick it up and another teal flew out of the thick fog. I shot it down, and continued this process until I had knocked down and picked up 5 teals. (This was a GOOD hunting day.)

On another day I was hunting with my Browning Auto 5-hump back 12 gauge shotgun. A flock of ducks flew by with about 30 teal in it. I knocked one teal down, lined up another shot and killed it, and then the flock turned around over land and flew back towards the blind, and I shot another down, giving me my one and only triple knock-down. (Another good hunting day!)

MOM: After Dick Trahan died in 2010, Mom lived alone until 2020. I always told her not to open the door for anyone especially after dark. One afternoon I was in Ricky’s automatic recliner, when someone knocked on the kitchen door. Since Mom was in the kitchen, she opened the door before I could get up from the chair. It was a satellite dish salesman, a young man that seemed nice, so she led him into the living room where I was. He proceeded to give his sales pitch. So I let him go on talking, when I saw a confused look come across Mom’s face. I let him talk for a few more minutes, then I told him we weren’t interested. Well he kept talking as I led him to the kitchen door and let him out. As he was entering the carport, he turned around to give his final pitch, I just closed the door in the middle of his final speech, went back to the living room, and told Mom that was why we didn’t let any stranger’s in the house and definitely didn’t open the door after dark.

One day we took Mom’s cat, Stripe, to the vet for a checkup. Well, they took Stripe to the back. We sat in the lobby where a lone woman was sitting. In five minutes Mom had told the lady her life story. When we left the vet’s office, I told Mom I was thinking of making her a sign she could carry around, saying: “Hi. My name is Laura. I live alone with my cat, So why don’t you follow me home, rob me, and kill me?” She became a little upset and asked what kind of conversation did I have with strangers? I told her having lived alone for so long, I didn’t give out any personal information because it was nobody’s business about my personal life.

Mom was always concerned about what I ate, and I always wanted to try the Seafood Platter at all the restaurants I visited. I think we were at the Seafood Palace once when my platter came. I was putting catsup on the plate when Mom said, “Don’t use too much catsup because there’s so much sugar in it. (She was so cute.) I was sitting there with a plate of fried catfish, shrimp, oysters, stuffed fried shrimp, French fries, and stuffed crab; and she was worried about there being too much sugar in the catsup!

REGINALD DUANE DEMARY

(Reggie was 12 years old when his dad died of an aneurysm. Recently, he thought back on their time together.)

I really enjoyed camping and fishing with Daddy and Gary. Sometimes we brought a tent behind Uncle Junius and Aunt Beco's. Once, Gary and I were fishing there, and not having much luck. So we abandoned our fishing poles, and decided to swim instead. It wasn't long before Dad had to swim after our poles because fish got hooked and were carrying them off!

I remember when Dad, Gary, and I would go fishing in the Industrial Canal. We would fill up grass sacks with crokerfish. Boy, that was sure fun! Then we took the fish home, cleaned, cooked, and ate them!

I liked on Saturday’s me and Dad went out to Jimmy Pelafigue’s farm and did different jobs there. It was fun being out in the country doing things with Dad.

It was also fun going to the rodeo with Dad every year. Well, one year we saw Ben Cartwright and Little Joe Cartwright. They were leading a horse with Hoss Cartwright’s hat on it. He was sick at the time and couldn’t come. Westerns were big back in those days.

Some times I look back and tell my children, "Y’all would have liked to meet Papa Elza.”

UNCLE CHARLIE SPEAKS OUT

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Through our KLFY segment “The Best of 90 Plus” we found there are many people who fit the mold.  Some say they just played their cards right or played the hand they were dealt.

Dr. Charles Faulk comes to the Greenhouse Senior Center to play cards three times a week. Dr. Faulk is a doctor of education.

He’s been an educator for 65 years in five areas from secondary to special education.  Dr. Faulk worked at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and McNeese State University.

Dr. Faulk is 94 years old.  “I was a principal. I was a supervisor. I was a state supervisor. I was a college professor. I was at another college as a professor.  I was head of the department of the college where I was a professor,” explains Faulk.

The Greenhouse is where Dr. Faulk comes to pal around with men his own age. He explains his wife of 70 years is the secret to his longevity.  “As soon as I get back home from the card game she comes with a cup of coffee. She never fails.  Never!  I can’t think of one time when she failed,” says Dr. Faulk.

“It takes strong people who are willing to do the right thing to correct wrongs.  You have to be very strong,” adds Faulk. Dr. Faulk is also a veteran of World War II.

Faulk says he remembers in Japan becoming friends with a clothing store owner where he got his hands on some silk cloth.  “I took it home with me and I become engaged to be married.  I gave the cloth to my wife. I said this is pure white silk.  I said I want you to make your wedding dress out of that; which is what she did,” adds Faulk.

“I tell them (my children) you all have children and they’re watching what you do,” says Dr. Faulk.

CHARLES RALEIGH NEWMAN-My Life

I was born in Big Lake, Cameron Parish, Louisiana on April 30, 1930.I was raised by my grandparents, Poleet and Frances Hebert Faulk, Momma and Papa. This was marsh country in the middle of the Great Depression. There was no electricity, no radios, and no cars. The only jobs were school bus driver and ferry boat operator. The men at Big Lake were duck hunting guides, alligator hunters and/or trappers. Money was scarce and opportunities were few. At that time the vast majority at Big Lake could only speak French.

At the age of nine or ten, I recall seeing Momma and Papa going to bed "with the chickens" and getting up "with the chickens," seven days a week, to try to put food on the table; many times we were short. I said to myself, "I'll never be a burden to them." This was my first lesson on work ethics, and I tried to learn it well. Assistance from the government was unknown and did not exist at that time.

The Faulks were the greatest duck callers that I ever knew. My goal was to be a really good duck caller. My passion then and always remained was duck hunting. I was a nonsmoker, had plenty of lung power, and I was lucky enough to live near Clarence "Patin" Faulk, the greatest duck caller of all time. To achieve my goal, I practiced long hours for years and spent a lot of time at Patin's house. I became a really good caller. At an early age, I won the Louisiana State Champion contest, the Regional at Beaumont,Texas, the International Duck Calling Contest at Crowley, Louisiana, and the World Champion Goose Caller at Missouri Valley, Iowa. At that time duck calling contests were a really big event; there were probably 20,000 people at Crowley for the International.

In December 1959, I received a phone call from someone in New York stating that because I was both the world champion goose caller and duck caller, I was invited to appear on "To Tell the Truth," a popular game show. I agreed, thinking it was a joke and told my wife about the call. To our surprise, I received a letter several days later, containing airline tickets to and from New York.

On "To Tell the Truth," three men, including myself, stood up and stated, "My name is Raleigh Newman." The four panelists, Don Ameche, Tom Position, Kitty Carlyle, and Bud Collier asked questions in order to determine who was the real Raleigh Newman. When the panelists voted, one panelist stated number three (which was me) "seemed to really know what he is talking about, but he appears too young." No panelist picked me as Raleigh Newman, so I won $1,000.

Not long after returning home from that event, my wife, Nell, noticed a small lump on her groin. She made an appointment to see her doctor. I offered to cancel my fishing trip to accompany her, but she said she would be okay alone. When I returned from my fishing trip, she told me the doctor wanted to talk to me. I will never forget the doctor telling me, "Your wife has two weeks to live." I spent hours and days in the library learning all I could about cancer. I found an article by Dr. Krementz and others at Tulane Medical School. They had developed a technique known as perfusion treatment, whereby the patient would have his/her vital organs sealed off and the cancer-killing drugs would be applied to the cancer cells in an attempt to cure the cancer.

That treatment was delayed because Nell had contracted hepatitis from treatment at Touro Hospital. Neither of us had ever smoked, yet by the time they did the treatment, the cancer had metastasized in her lungs.

The doctors eventually performed a hemipelvectomy, amputating her leg, hip, and part of her pelvis. Six weeks later she was standing on her good leg doing her housework without taking any pain medicines. She was truly a remarkable woman.

"A drowning man will grasp for a straw." This is what we did. We tried different treatments from other sources, some of which were not recognized by the medical profession. Our goal was to rid Nell of her cancer. We did not totally succeed, but maybe we had some success because our doctors, cancer experts, informed us that the usual life span after being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma is two months. We were blessed to have her with us for two years after being diagnosed.

A strange thing happened to me the day before Nell died. Our pastor, Msgr DeBlanc, came to our home and told me, "Raleigh, if you and Nell have anything to say to each other, go talk to her now, because tomorrow, she will be gone." It was the matter of fact way that he said it to me. I thought, how can this man be so sure since we had highly qualified cancer doctors and they did not know when she would die.

Nell and I had already had many conversations about life and death. When I finished the 4-12 shift at Cit-Con, a great place to work, we would drive to the airport, look at the moon, talk about God, and life. "If I could just live to see my children grow up; if I could just take a deep breath..."

Nell and I lived within our means and did not owe money to anyone except her medical bills. After her death, I was advised to file for bankruptcy; even my banker, Jim Ferguson, so advised me. I declined. I felt if they had advanced my wife's medical treatment in an attempt to save her life, then I would repay them. I worked two jobs for almost two years to pay the medical bills.

Nell's death on June 16, 1963, left me with our two wonderful children, Mary Ellen (now Montgomery), age thirteen, and Chuck, age eight, (now deceased). It also left me with a strong need and desire to grab hold of something serious to help me cope with Nell's death. Two close friends, Larry Roach and Nathan Cormie, both excellent lawyers, strongly urged me to go to law school. I agreed and enrolled at LSU Law School in the spring of 1964. I always believed that if you cannot find justice in the courtroom, where will you find it?

I wanted to do well in law school. When I entered, Professor J. Denson Smith (also known as "Big Red") told the freshman class, "Look at the man on your right and the man on your left because neither will be here next year." That comment was the incentive I needed to do my best.

When I enrolled, I had married a lady with two children, I already had two children, and we then had a third child, Johnny Newman. I supported six people, since my mother had persuaded Mary Ellen to go live with her during my years at LSU. While at LSU, I did not borrow a dime nor did I owe anything when I graduated three years later at the age of thirty-seven. I held three jobs. I planted a huge garden and picked over 100 pounds of tomatoes a day and traded most of them for staples. After my freshman year, I summarized law school courses, printed these summaries, called "poop" sheets and sold them for ten dollars each. I also worked part time for the Department of Education and as a part time insurance adjuster.

I found a nice, but old, unoccupied house on Highland Road where the owner agreed to let me live rent free as long as I was in school if I would install a sewer system, clean it up, and paint the house inside and out. This I readily agreed to do.

Looking back, it is hard to believe I worked and studied an average of fourteen hours a day, seven days a week. This allowed me to achieve my goal at LSU. I was voted "Order of the Coif" for my achievements, served on the Law Review, awarded the Phi Kappa Phi scholastic award, and won the Moot Court Trial Finals. Some years later, I was voted into the LSU Law School Hall of Fame.

After graduation, I opened a private practice in Lake Charles as a sole practitioner. I tried almost every case I had in order to gain valuable trial experience. My goal as a lawyer was to help the poor. I successfully represented them and handled numerous cases without charging. Making money was not my main objective, although I did pretty well.

PHOEBE DEMARETS GUILLORY

Our family, mom, dad (Olivia & Dulva), my brother Pete, and I lived close to our grandparents, Mere’Mere’ and Pere’Pere’.  We saw them often and helped them with things they were not able to do.

My grandparents were terrified of bad weather.  When the weather was bad we went to their house.  Sometimes my mother would wake us up in the middle of the night to go meet them.  We had to get dressed, put shoes on and go sometimes in the thunderstorm.  In 1918 a strong hurricane hit SW Louisiana.  My grandparents lived near the Sweetlake area.  Someone had built them a small new house.  The first new home they ever had.  The hurricane hit and destroyed the home and everything in it.  The storm took my mom and she was rolling near the ground.  My grandpa ran after her and was finally able to catch up with her.  The other children that were in the storm were Eva and Adia. There was a black family nearby.  They brought my grandparents, Olivia, Eva, and Adia to their home and took care of them and shared their clothes with them until family was able to care for them. **

Pere’-Pere’ was a hunting guide.  He would leave for a week or two at a time.  I was the only granddaughter around so I stayed with Mere-Mere while he was gone. He would come home with a lot of ducks.  Many times I would help Mere-Mere remove the feathers from the ducks.  We would save the soft feathers to make pillows.  The other feathers were thrown away. 

A wonderful memory I have is that every night Mere-Mere and I would kneel down and say the rosary.  She would lead in French and I would answer in English. 

Mere-Mere was never able to go to school.  But she was no dummy.  When the telephones came to Big Pasture she and Pere Pere got a phone.  I would write the names and phone numbers of people she wanted to call.  She would recognize name and numbers and call anyone.  That amazed me.  She had a wonderful memory. 

When it was time to vaccinate the cows and calves she would get in the pen and helped the men identify the ones that need to be vaccinated.  She also knew which calf belonged to which momma.

The last house Mere-Mere had was the house Aunt Eva had owned.  It had a large front porch.  Many times I would go sit with her on the porch and shell peas, beans and also snapped beans. 

I remember she would get up early every morning and cook her dinner.  By 10:00 a.m. everything was done.  They raised guineas and she would make a delicious guinea gumbo.  I don’t remember her raisin pies but she also made a syrup cake that was delicious. 

I would often go clean house for her.  It was mainly clean furniture and sweep and mop.  She had no closet space.  There were boxes of clothes and shoes under the beds.  I would have to pull all the boxes out, dust them and then mop the floor.  I vowed never to put boxes under my bed and to this day I still don’t.

Aunt Eva bought Mere-Mere and Pere-Pere a little Morris Minor car.  I don’t think Pere-Pere had any training to drive a car.  Anyway they would take off to go visit family.  Many times Pere-Pere would back up in the ditch.  Mere-Mere was scared to death to ride with him, but because she loved to go anywhere she went with him.  I don’t think they kept the car many years because of his driving. 

When my husband Dean was in the Air Force a few months he was transferred to Germany.  I stayed home with my mom & dad.  Aunt Laura had surgery.  I spent a week with them to help her out.  One thing I remember is that Gary loved onion and mayonnaise sandwiches so I made that for him. 

When Dean was transferred to Chennault Air Force base.  We lived in a trailer and had it moved in mom’s yard.  He would drive back and forth to Chennault every day.  Many times Mere-Mere was on the side of the road waving a large red handkerchief flagging him down for a ride to go visit relatives.  He would pick her up in the afternoon and took her home.  She loved to go anywhere.  I think that’s who my daughter Pam takes after.

When my dad died Aunt Laura took care of Pam for me to go to his funeral.  Pam was 5 months old.

**A few things about Aunt Laura.  She was always willing to help people and praying for everyone.  When I went into labor with Jackie we were living in the trailer next to mom’s.  I was having labor pains and we were afraid to be caught at the ferry by many boats.  We went to Aunt Laura’s until time to go to the hospital.  Jackie was born a month early.

Also, probably for the last 10 or 15 years Aunt Laura made me & Dean a birthday cake.  When she was not able to do that Janice took over for her.  The cakes were always delicious and very much appreciated it.  My family always enjoyed it too. 

Many times a lot of the family would go to Mere-Mere and Pere-Pere’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  Aunt Eva and her husband Uncle Edwin would come with turkey and all the trimmings for dinner.  There were always fabulous desserts that my mom and her sisters and sisters-in-law would bake. 

The thing I did not like is that the children had to wait until all the adults had eaten.  I didn’t think that was fair.  One time I was helping Aunt Eva set the table and I took a bite of something off the table.  She was so mad she fussed at me and told me that was not polite and I couldn’t do that.  But I was hungry. 

**JANICE'S NOTE: I was told Mere-Mere's and Pere-Pere's first son, Oliver, was only a few days old for the 1918 storm. He was born with a wide soft spot on the top his head and was not expected to live very long. He did not survive the storm. He was buried near the middle of the older part of the cemetery. Lawrence, his brother, later put a marker on his grave.

AS EVA FAULK'S 100TH BIRTHDAY APPROACHED on January 28, 2014, American Press's Kara Carrier wrote the following article which appeared on the front page of the newspaper.

FAULK TO CELEBRATE CENTURY--On any given day, one may find Lake Charles resident Eva Faulk shopping for antiques, dining out or getting pampered at a local beauty shop. Carol Demary, Faulk's cousin and caregiver, said most people wouldn't find her level of activeness typical for a woman of her age. Faulk will celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 28.

She uses a walker now, but that doesn't stop her," Demary said. "She likes to stay busy." According to Demary, Faulk's liveliness today is a reflection of how she has lived most of her life--always on the go.

Faulk, who was born in Cameron and still speaks with a Cajun accent, said she has lived in many places throughout the years, including Grand Lake, New Orleans, Houston, Colorado and Biloxi, Miss., but has been back in Lake Charles for 20 years.

I was a jet-setter at one point," Faulk said. "I traveled to Rome, Paris, New York and Mexico City, all in one year--just like Jackie-O (former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). I love to travel, but unfortunately I can't do that anymore."

Demary said Faulk has had quite an interesting life over the last century. Faulk not only traveled all over the world, but also worked for famed London photographer Pati Bannister for many years, she said.

"She also played the stock market and sold real estate, she owned several businesses and frequently traveled to New Mexico to buy turquoise from Navajo Indians to make jewelry," Demary said.

Demary said Faulk in 1936 was crowned the first-ever Flower Show Queen in New Orleans.

She even once dated famous movie star Errol Flynn. I think they lasted only a week," Demary said laughing. "What an exciting life she has had."

Today, Faulk's life is much different, but she says she is happy,

What brings her the most joy now, she said, is her family and her two toy poodles, Macarena and BeBe.

Faulk said she has outlived many of her family members, including her husband, most of her siblings, a grandchild and three beloved dogs. "I hope to be reunited with them all one day," Faulk said.

To celebrate her being "100 years young," Faulk said her son, local attorney Raleigh Newman, and five generations of family members will gather and go to dinner.

"I feel alright about turning 100," Faulk said. "I feel pretty good."

Demary said the secret to Faulk's longevity is that she has eaten well her entire life.

"She always eats organic foods and stays active," Demary said. "We have a good time. She's alert, sharp and very smart for 100 years young. She can even still read and watch TV without her glasses."

NOTE: Eva Faulk lived to the ripe old age of 102 and a half!

EDDIE JACKSON “JACK” DEMARY-a grandson of Toussaint and Azeline Demarets

Joseph Toussaint Demarets  Born 11/30/1887 died 6/30/1973.

Azeline Hebert Demarets, born 11/20/1886 died 6/3/1978.  They had 9 children, 4 girls and 5 boys.

Edna Demarets was the oldest of 9 children, born 10/22/1907. She died in her 90’s. She married Marion Marcantel on January 10, 1923.

Azelina Demarets was born on April 11, 1911. She lived to be 95. She married Alcide Thibodeaux on July 15, 1928.

Mary Jane Demarets was born 11/19/1913. She married Paul Stephen Broussard on 11/19/1931.

Celeste Lees Demarets was born 12/9/1916. She married Leon Ellender on 3/19/1935.

Oldest son was Henry Joseph Demarets born 1/8/1915.  He died in the month of March 1945 in the Philippines as a Corporal.  He had served in the Army for 9 years and was in the Calvary until it was disbanded and became an infantryman.  The family knew that his younger brother Gilbert was a POW in the Philippines but nothing else until they learned of his death when the POW camps were liberated in 1945.  It was common knowledge that Henry was driven to find his brother as each day they were advancing on the enemy and controlling more territory.  Because the unit he was serving in was made up of mostly men of Southern Louisiana there were eyewitness accounts of Henry's death and of his exploits.  Very few people knew him as Henry because his nickname was Andrew.  This came about as my Grandmother and her lady friends were visiting in her living room and even though he had been named and recorded as Henry they thought it would have been more American to have named him after an American president.  They all admired Andrew Jackson.  So, from then on he was known as Andrew in every manner except for formal legal occasions such as entering the military etc.  Their second son, my dad, Eddie had the middle name of Jackson to complete the tribute.  I as Eddie Jr carry the same middle name that came about in the family parlor with a bunch of non english speaking women sipping coffee and a desire to be respectful to the USA!  Andrew never married.

Second son was my Dad, Eddie Jackson Demary.  His last name was changed when he was in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) and later when he inquired about changing it back the government told him since all things of the government knew him as Demary it would be easier to keep it than change back, so here we are!  Not uncommon at all during the period.  Dad was born on 10/20/1918 and died 9/16/2004.  Married Annie Reon and they had 6 children.  Dad never served in the military as his eye sight was very poor and he had one crippled foot from childhood.  He worked in an essential job as he was employed in oil exploration which the nation needed very badly.  He did so for 25 years and then was a boilermaker at Cities Service for 12 years before retiring.

Gilbert Demarets was born on 5/5/1921 and died on 9/2/1942. Gilbert was also in the military when the war started and was in the Army Air Corp stationed in the Philippines.  He survived the Battan Death March but died 3 months later from starvation and other ills that stem from such.  A chaplain, a Catholic Priest, kept a diary of the events in the camp at the risk of his life but this is how we found out about Gilbert.  He was a terror when it came to the Japanese soldiers.  He would not obey or comply in anyway and they beat and abused him and just cut off almost all nutrition and within 3 months he died of starvation and other issues.  The family only knew he was a POW and did not know he died until near the wars end.  The Army Chaplain also died but the diary was maintained and survived the war.  Gilbert had married a woman named Louise.  The family did not know much of her and she had taken ill early on and died during the war.  Neither she or Gilbert knew the others fate as they died.  My Grandparents learned of their sons deaths nearly at the same time.  Even though Gilbert died years earlier, they learned from the Army the news only days apart.  Must have been terrible.  My youngest brother is named Andrew Gilbert Demary in honor of our uncles lost in WWII.

Wilbert Lee Demarets was born 4/25/1923 and died 5/5/1999.  Wilbert was in the Army and served in the European war as a combat engineer as was very close to the fighting and often times the engineers became infantrymen for a short while!  He was also used as a French language interpreter a good bit.

Adam Leroy Demarets born 1/22/1926 and is alive at this writing.  He is the lone survivor of the 9 Demarets children.  Leroy served in the Navy during the war.  He was at sea but I don't know what his military duties were.

JACK’S NOTE

When I saw the picture of Dad on the wooden ferry, that was the first wooden one I had ever seen. The ones I’ve seen were metal, powered by diesel motors. I wonder if the wooden one was powered by engines or manpower. When cars, wagons, and horseback riders got on the old ferries, the men would help the state workers pull the ferry across the canal. Sometimes the rope would break, and everyone would chase the rope end like crazy people trying to catch it before it slipped away from the ferry which would mean the ferry would drift away also. Once on the metal ferry, Dad and I were sitting in the truck when a cable broke. I had never seen anything like it! Dad and every other man on that ferry leaped out of their vehicles and raced off to grab onto that cable that was still in the slotted wheels, then pulled the ferry to the bank. At least that way, they could unload and go on with life as the state people would tie up the ferry and put a new cable in place, which was always laying across the canal for just such an event. That might take 1 or 2 days and may even need a tugboat on the job.

FAMILY TREES INTERTWINED:

Joseph Faulk & Adele Miguez had 11 children: Luma, Eliza, Demas, Semar, Amar, Cecile, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Alcide, Amelda, Agnes.

Adolph Hebert & Adeline Demarets had 13 children: Lonore, Louis, Adolphe, Sostan, Amatilde, Belzere, James, Azeline, Frances, Oraline, John, Louise, Frank.

Philemon H. Granger & Aline Comeaux had 11 children: Jess, Natalie, Oralie, Phillip, Louisiana, Ovey, Noah, Mecille, Junius, Ada, Wasey.

Nicholas "Bob" Demarets & Mary Elzina Duhon had 12 children: Antoine, Toussaint, Camile, Donate, Euclide, Nicholas, John, Adam Bellan, Mitchell, Dulva, Felonise, Ozite.

Nicholas Demary married Amelda Faulk.

Toussaint Demarets married Azeline Hebert.

Three of the Demarets' sons married three of the Granger's daughters:

Antoine Demarets to Natalie Granger;

Donate Demary to Oralie Granger, (but Donate's first wife was Oraline Hebert. Oraline died in 1917 giving birth to Donate's only daughter, who also died.)

John Demary to Louisiana Granger. John and Louisiana divorced which was practically unheard of in those days. John then married Gladys "Meyon" Faulk, daughter of Luma, while Louisiana moved to Texas, legally changed her name to Louise Anna and later married Bogue Bolton. The Bolton's settled in Port Arthur.

The Demarets son, Dulva, married the Faulk's daughter, Olivia

The Granger's son, Junius, married the Faulk's daughter, Adia.

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Laura was a good cook, but what she really enjoyed was trying out new desserts and sharing them with family and friends, cakes with fabulous fillings: coconut, banana, pineapple; layered lemon dessert, banana split dessert, pecan pie squares, lemon, pear, or pecan pie.

The favorite of her grandson, David Crador, is:

LAURA'S FRESH FIG PIE

3 c fresh figs, (washed, stemmed, and halved), 1 c sugar mixed with 1/4 c flour

vanilla flavor, butter

Toss together figs, sugar, and flour. Place in an unbaked salty pie shell. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon vanilla flavor over all. Dot with butter. Put top crust and slit. Bake at 400 for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until golden brown. Serve warm. Can top with whipped or ice cream.

Frances' daughter-in-law, Betty Faulk graciously shared her family’s favorite “Frances Hebert Faulk” Dessert. Here it is:

MERE’ MERE’S RAISIN NUT CAKE

ingredients:

4 c water, 2 c raisins, 2 c sugar, 1/2 t soda

directions: place in a pot and boil til raisins are tender.

add: 1/2 c lard or butter and let cool.

then add: 3 c flour, 1 T baking powder, 1 t vanilla, 1 c chopped pecans

directions: Bake at 350 degrees in several prepared pans til done. (makes 4 or 5 layers) Cool.

Filling is your choice of jelly. Do not serve until next day to allow cake to “season” and flavors to blend.

Leave top layer bare. (YOU CAN’T TOP THAT ANYWAY!)

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Laura Faulk Demary Trahan passed from this life on November 8, 2020 of natural causes while in the comfort of her home surrounded by loving family, at the age of 94. Laura and her twin brother, Lawrence, were born in Big Lake on March 29, 1926, the last of nine children born to Semar and Frances Hebert Faulk. Her nephew, Charles Raleigh Newman was also raised by the Faulk family as her "younger brother".

Laura married Elza Gilbert Demary, also of Big Lake, on January 7, 1942 during WWII and the couple had four children; Janice (Robert) Crador, Elza Gilbert Demary, Jr (Jackie Bullock), Gary D. Demary and Reginald D. Demary (Linda Morris).

Laura had a licensed daycare center in her home in the late 1960's called Babyland Nursery for children, aged 2 to 4. Elza loved the children as much as she did, but tragically after 27 years of marriage, Elza died of an aneurysm at the age of 50. Laura was so devastated, she couldn’t continue with the daycare center.

Laura later married B. W. Jardell. After his passing, she married Richard Trahan.

Throughout her married life, Laura's favorite exercise was dancing. She was blessed with husbands that were all good men and great dancers.

Laura was an active member of VFW Post 2130 Auxiliary for many years. A lifelong Catholic, she was a member of OLQH Catholic Church.

Laura is survived by her "brother" Raleigh Newman, her sister-in-law, Joyce Faulk, her four children, 11 grandchildren, Mary Johnson (Finest), Rick Crador (Sheryl), David T. Crador, Laurie Carlin (Skip), Aimee Hoffpauir (Damon), Katie Benoit (Scott), Elza Gilbert Demary III (Emilee), Charlie Milliger (Delisa), Kim Trahan (Donny), Kristy Demary, and Kent Demary; 19 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on November 10, 2020 at Hixson Funeral Home of Lake Charles from the hours of 4pm until 8pm with a Rosary to be prayed at 6pm. Visitation will resume the following day from 8am until procession to the church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven at 10am. Burial to follow at Big Lake Cemetery.

Words of comfort and condolences may be shared with the Faulk family at www.hixsonfuneralhomes.com