He graduated from Sulphur High School and attended college at USL in Lafayette, Louisiana and graduated with a B.S. Degree in Geology. He served in the U.S. Army and spent sixteen months in Korea where he served as a company clerk in the 17th Postal Unit. Upon an Honorable discharge, he went to work for the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury at Ward 4 Barn as the assistant to the Ward 4 Engineer in November of 1959. I went from the minimum pay job to the position of Public Works Director. While working in Public Works, I was one of the first members of the Louisiana Parish Engineers Association started by Rodney Vincent who was Parish Engineer at the time, later to become Parish Administrator. In 1985, I was elected President of this organization.
As Public Works Director, I was instrumental in combining eight barn sites into two, one east maintenance facility and one west maintenance facility. I also created the first parish wide drainage plan whereby the parish was no longer responsible for maintaining all outfall ditches in the parish and was only responsible for roadside drainage. In addition, I was instrumental in setting up the four-day work week that Public Works has today.
Upon retirement from the parish, I went to work for Holston Ambulance Service, which later became Life Care Ambulance Service as Public Relations and Marketing representative. I was instrumental in expanding the service area which included Deridder, Leesville, Many, Mansfield, Alexandria, and Crowley, Louisiana. When I started the company, we had two ambulances and a handful of employees and when I retired, they had thirty ambulances and over two hundred employees.
Upon retiring from the ambulance company, I went to work for the Ward and Marshall’s Office and worked 18 years as Court Baliff with the Judge Charles Schrumpf. Mr. Billy Guidry was the Marshall of Ward 4.
I was also the owner and operator of Meaux’s Vending and was in business for eighteen years.
He is survived by his two sons, Robert K. Meaux and David K. Meaux of Sulphur; along with his grandchildren, Robert “Garrett” Meaux, Tyler Koonce, Bently Brooks, Casey Brooks, and Becca Perrodin (Blake) all of Sulphur; along with the rest of the Koonce family.
Herman is preceded in death by his wife, Patra “Pat” Meaux; special companion, Virginia Koonce; two sons, Charles W. Meaux and Richard “Ricky” Meaux; along with his two sisters, Doris John and Garnette Guidry.
A Celebration of Herman’s life will be held at Hixson-Sulphur Memorial Funeral Home in Sulphur, Louisiana on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 10:00 am, with Pastor Lonnie Gothrup officiating. Visitation will be at Hixson-Sulphur Memorial Funeral Home on Monday, February 17, 2025, from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Visitation will resume at the funeral home on Tuesday, from 8:30 am until the time of the service. Burial will follow at Mimosa Pines South Cemetery in Carlyss, Louisiana.
Words of comfort maybe shared with the family at www.hixsonsulphurmemorial.com.
