Dr. Ann B. Metzinger

Dr. Ann Oliva Boudreaux Metzinger passed peacefully on May 6th, 2022 while surrounded by family. She was 90 years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mrs. Blanche Martin Boudreaux and Mr. Leo Leon Boudreaux. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Mr. Walter Frederick Metzinger, Jr. She is survived by her sister, Mrs. Louise Garcia Ziebell, and her children, Dr. Stephen Eric Metzinger (Dr. Rebecca Crawford Metzinger) and Mrs. Callie Metzinger MacKenzie (Mr. Robert MacKenzie). She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Walter Frederick (Fritz) Metzinger III, Carson Douglas MacKenzie, Cameron Crawford Metzinger, Elizabeth Ann MacKenzie, and Kerth Peterson (Pete) Metzinger.

Dr. Metzinger was a beloved professor, wife, mother, grandmother, family member, and friend. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, she graduated Salutatorian from Mount Carmel High School before attending the University of Southwestern Louisiana for her undergraduate degree. She obtained her 1st Master’s Degree from LSU in Baton Rouge, her 2nd Master’s Degree from the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, and her Doctorate in International Health from the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She did her Internship at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, before moving to Houston, Texas went to work in the burn unit at Hermann Hospital.

In 1967, she joined the faculty of the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine working for Dr. Grace Goldsmith with a dual appointment at the Tulane University School of Medicine in Maternal-Fetal Health. She taught Nutrition for over 42 years and was granted Emeritus Professorship when she retired. Dr. Metzinger served as a former president of Delta Omega and the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Alumni Board. She taught and practiced internationally in Zaire, Colombia, and Haiti. She was referred to as “our mother in nutrition” and loved her students. She personally started the Dietetic internship at Tulane and helped start the undergraduate program in public health. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Global Health Award at the 100-year anniversary of the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications and seven book chapters and lectured locally, nationally, and internationally. She was a reviewer for a number of professional journals, including the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and the Journal of Nutrition Education, and performed formal reviews of examinations for certified testing facilities in the United States and Europe.

Dr. Metzinger--or "MeMe," as her grandchildren and loved ones came to call her--loved Acadian culture, Tulane Football, and the New Orleans Saints. She loved everything about New Orleans, her family, and her friends. Later in life, she became a Red Hat and loved them all. Her favorite saying was “Live your life!” She certainly lived hers.

The Metzinger family would like to thank Dr. Metzinger's long-time caregivers Mrs. Lisa Brown-Marshall and Mrs. Cheryl White who always treated her like family and provided dignity at all times.

A wake will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124 on Friday, May 13, 2022 from 5-8 PM. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 11 AM with a continued visitation beginning at 9 AM. Interment will follow Mass in Metairie Cemetery.

In Lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Student Scholarship Fund at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, or the Alzheimer's Foundation.