Raoul William Robert

Our dear Raoul William Robert passed away at home with his family on June 13, 2023, after battling cancer. He was a truly kind person whose intellect, wit and wisdom were matched by his strength of character and will. He was born in Donaldsonville in 1942 and grew up in Oberlin and Opelousas. He attended LSU where he achieved a B.S. in Accounting and studied for an MBA until he was called to serve in the Army. He deployed to Viet Nam in 1967 with the 3/17 Air Cavalry where he was a helicopter pilot and Lift Ship Leader for his platoon, carrying ground troops into and out of combat zones. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. After training at the NYSE, he worked as an investment broker before becoming a CPA. He worked in public accounting in Baton Rouge for a number of years while starting a family with his wife, Jonalyn. In 1976, following his entrepreneurial spirit, he founded Southern Valve Service. He was a natural leader, and building a team who shared his vision for how a business should be run – with quality, honesty, and respect as the guiding principles – was his passion and a major part of his life’s work. Today, Southern Valve employs approximately a hundred people, many of whom have worked there for over 20 years, between offices in Louisiana and Texas. He later became a founding partner of FC Tech located in Baton Rouge. He enjoyed playing poker, once making a WSOP final table in Limit Hold’em, as well as fishing and hunting with friends and family, often with his late uncle W.T. Taylor Jr. In his downtime, he liked growing vegetables, roses and trees, and spending time with his family at their property in Norwood known as “Pop’s Woods”. His loving generosity, unqualified acceptance, and genuine sincerity will long live in his family’s hearts. He was a true gentleman and his word was considered gold standard. He is preceded in death by his parents, James Joseph and Mary Taylor Robert; and his siblings, Mary Bobbye Meaux and Jack Robert. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 56 years, Jonalyn Robert; his oldest son Dr. William Robert of Syracuse, New York, his son Jon Tucker Robert (Shelby), and daughter Leah Robert Schewe (Ryan) of Baton Rouge. He is also survived by his grandchildren Noah, Josephine and Lucas Robert, and Evie Schewe, to whom he gave his biggest smiles; two brothers, James “Jimmy” Robert (Sydney) and Jeff Robert (Mary); brother-in-law, Captain Richard Meaux and sister-in-law, Cathie Rowland Robert; along with many other family members and friends who became like family. Visitation will take place at Rabenhorst Funeral Home at 825 Government St on Wednesday June 21st from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. A celebration of his life and legacy will continue with visitation on Thursday, June 22, at 9:00 AM at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 400 Marquette Avenue, followed by a funeral mass at 10:00 AM. The family would like to thank his skilled team of doctors and nurses for their care: Dr. Christopher McCanless, Dr. Andrew Hollier, and Dr. Douglas Say. His Hospice Team from Hospice of Baton Rouge was outstanding and vital to his care and comfort during his last months. Special thanks to CNA Sonja Carter for sitting with him and family until his last breath. To view and sign the online guestbook, please visit www.rabenhorst.com.