James Richard Guidry

James Richard “Jimmy” Guidry, 86, of Sulphur, Louisiana entered into eternal rest on Sunday, October 9, 2022 at the Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Home in Jennings, Louisiana. Jimmy was born to his late parents, Arthur and Elodie (Castille) Guidry on July 10, 1936 in Church Point, Louisiana. Jimmy proudly volunteered for service to his country as a young man. Jimmy was a man of great character but small stature, and when he first presented for enlistment, he did not weigh enough for immediate acceptance. He joked that he went home, ate a banana, returned to the recruiter’s office, weighed again, and successfully signed his enlistment contract. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War where he was a military police (MP) and a bilingual cryptographer tasked with relaying private/secret messages to the colonels. He was the first employee hired for Gravity Drainage District 5, Ward 4 in Sulphur, where he worked his way up the ranks and eventually became the Superintendent. Jimmy spent years working under and with a special mentor who was the first Superintendent of Gravity Drainage and who also had an RV dealership on the side. When his mentor retired, Jimmy was promoted to Superintendent of Gravity Drainage and opened his own business, Jimmy's RV Sales and Service. Jimmy and his wife Shirley operated their small mom-and-pop business (technically a side hustle) on Highway 90 in Sulphur and sold travel trailers and motorhomes to vacationing families and oilfield workers. By the early 1980s, Jimmy’s side hustle had garnered him a spot in the top ten volume leaders in RV sales for a major manufacturer of travel trailers and motorhomes. And such is a testament to Jimmy’s hard-working character. He worked two jobs almost all his life in order to provide a nice and comfortable life and home for his beloved family.

Jimmy was selfless. He never admitted to being tired or not feeling well. Never! If a loved one was in need, Jimmy was there. He was a straight shooter. The kind of man who did the right thing whether you were looking or not. He was a humble man, never prideful. He did not know sarcasm. What you see is what you get and what he said was what he meant. He was a man of few words and when he said them, they were true, correct, and kind. His life, as an example, resonated strongly and clearly, louder than any words that could have ever been spoken.

Jimmy’s most prized titles in life were that of husband, father, and grandfather. He met his wife Shirley at a gas station in Sulphur where he worked and where she visited with her own father to get gasoline. They married young and began building a life and family. As a young father, Jimmy brought his family camping nearly every weekend. Music, food, and family entertainment were the norm. Jimmy’s children fondly remember ideal childhoods of peace, protection, calm wisdom, and lots of good music and good food. When Jimmy’s children became adults and had families of their own, Jimmy helped to build each one of them at least one house. This wasn’t what Jimmy did for a living, but his kids’ needed homes, so there he was. Any time any of his children needed something, he came running, with a smile and with the know-how and want-to necessary to solve any problem that they were facing. When grandkids came along, Jimmy threw himself into the role of doting grandfather. He never missed a game, recital, or event. He played games, painted toenails, wore tiaras, and hunted lizards. Anything, anytime. Jimmy had a very special relationship with each one of his grandchildren and he wrote about them all in a daily journal that he kept for many, many years. He began writing once he retired and once he noticed that he was beginning to forget things. Those (very) detailed journals will now be treasured possessions of his children and grandchildren forever. The memories of good times and togetherness will help them endure the sad days that are to come.

Jimmy loved his wife Shirley more than anything in the world. Everything else was an extension of that and everyone knew this. Shirley cared for him for many, many years in the home he that he had built for them. If Jimmy had any last words, his children know that they would be “take care of Shirley.” And that we now will.

He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Shirley Guidry; children, Jamie Crain (Jay) of Lake Charles, Jody Guidry (Kim) of Sulphur, and Lesli Ericson (Doug) of Lake Charles; two sisters, Deanie O'Quain (Dale), Jo Helen Thibodeaux (Kenneth); two brothers, Calvin Guidry and Wilson "Chee" Guidry (Pam); grandchildren, Justin Crain, Annie Guidry, Kallie Guidry, Bailey Caples, Dayton Ericson, and Arean Ericson; and two great grandchildren, Olivia Crain and Chloe LeBoeuf.

Jimmy is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Curtis Ray Guidry, Gary Guidry, and Ricky Paul Guidry; along with his granddaughter, Courtney Caples. Jimmy is now free from the disease that robbed him of his memories during the last years of his life. He has joined his family members that passed before him. He is surely singing and dancing, and he is surely telling stories and laughing with his granddaughter, Courtney. His body is made whole, and his mind is free to roam while he waits for and watches over the others of us that he loves.

A Life Well Lived! A Celebration of Jimmy's life will be held at Hixson Sulphur Memorial Funeral Home on Friday, October 14, 2022, at 9:30am, with Hixson Celebrant Jody Barrilleaux officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Friday, beginning at 8:30am until the time of the service. Burial will be at 12:30pm at Southwest Louisiana War Veterans Cemetery in Jennings, Louisiana. It is located at 1610 Evangeline Road.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hixsonsulphurmemorial.com for the Guidry family.