The Lord received one of His finest and most determined angels on Monday, April 11, 2016, when Merle Ann Babin Koontz passed away from heart failure at the young age of 71. Merle was the beloved wife of John Dana (Dane) Koontz for 51 years this June and devoted mother to John D Koontz III and spouse Jodi, James Duke Koontz and spouse Kristy, and Jackie Koontz Triche and husband Jason. She was also a proud grandmother of seven to Taylor and Phoebe Koontz, Duke, Jr. and Ashton Koontz, and Asa, Jacob and Levi Triche. She is survived by this tight-knit family as well as her brother Keith Weilbacher and spouse Glenda along with loving nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. She was preceded in death by her loving parents Charles and Claire Babin and her deeply and equally-loved in-laws, John D Koontz Sr (Skipper) and Helen (Heidi) Koontz. Merle's departure was as sudden and fast as The Blue Angels shows she and her family followed along Pensacola Beach twice yearly. The family's beach vacations brought a lifetime of shared stories, quests for unique shells and shark's teeth, and cherished time with each other. She was a lifelong NASCAR fan before car racing was cool. She loved her vocation also, working over 20 years with GEC Engineering as a draftsperson, leading some of the earliest work as an Autocad expert. Her greatest love was that of her family - a strong matriarch who put the needs of all others before her own. A gathering will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA, from 5-7 pm on Thursday, April 14th with services from 7-8 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends and family donate to their local churches and places of worship with Merle in mind.
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