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LEROY – A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Leroy honoring the life of Jane Frederick Simon, 87. She died peacefully at home surrounded by family on Wednesday, June 5, following a long, well fought, battle with Parkinson’s Disease. She will be laid to rest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Cemetery with Reverend Paul Bienvenu officiating the services, concelebrated by Reverand Louis J. Richard. Pallbearers will be Bryan Simon, Mark Simon, Damian Calato, Peter DeHart, Keith Dronet, and Dominic Calato. Honorary Pallbearers will be Dale Frederick, Noah Pontiff, Tommy Delhomme, Donald Domingue, John Robin, and Mike Simon.
Jane was a faithful woman of strength. She filled her life with what was most important to her – faith, family, and friends. All who were fortunate enough to know her would know of her deep love for her beloved husband Rex (deceased), her five children, eight grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. She led the family with high standards for doing what was right, for practicing strong faith in their home, and for preserving daily family time around meals and evening rosaries.
She also generously shared her faith with others. For many years she taught Catechism to the First Communion class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, was a member of the Parish Council and the Ladies Altar Society, and was a Lector at mass.
Jane grew up near Maurice and made life-long friendships with her classmates at Maurice High School. She met Rex when he transferred in for their 8th grade year. They dated throughout high school and were in a class of 18 students.
Jane was always a hard worker. She was an excellent Homemaker with a passion for preparing and serving excellent food to her family and friends who visited. She prepared three delicious meals a day for their family of seven making sure to work in everyone’s favorites. She was known for her delicious desserts and homemade candies during the holidays. Rex often jokingly said that he married her for her homemade pies. Even in her final days when she was bedridden, she was concerned about what to serve those who came to see her.
Jane enjoyed several pastimes in her life. For decades, she and Rex played weekly card games with other couples who became some of their very dearest friends. She enjoyed her women’s Pokeno groups and later in life, liked playing Gin Rummy with her family and other care givers. Jane enjoyed music and attending concerts and theatre. She began her days with early morning prayer time and enjoyed being outdoors, particularly her daily three-mile walks and nurturing her flower beds to watch beauty grow. Jane loved traveling with her family and with other couples.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Rex O. Simon who passed away on April 30, 2023; her parents, Elier Frederick and Nemese Benoit Frederick; two sisters, Velta Frederick Dartez and her husband Harold, and Loula Mae Frederick Broussard and her husband Lurby; three brothers, Lynwood Frederick, Lully Frederick and his wife Imy, and George Frederick and his wife Beatrice; and one sister-in-law, Janet Broussard Frederick.
She is survived by five children, Della DeHart and her husband, Peter of Abbeville, Julie Simon-Dronet and her husband, Keith of Lafayette, Ellen Calato and her husband, Damian of Baton Rouge, Bryan Simon and his wife, Roslyn of Leroy, and Mark Simon and his wife, Amy of Maurice. She also leaves behind eight grandchildren, Noah Pontiff, Nikki Calato Allen (Adron), Kerri Calato Guidry (Dave), Sara Dronet Young, Natalie Dronet Weaver (Chad), Dominic Calato, Kacy Simon, and Meg Simon; and seven great grandchildren, Rex Allen, Warner Young, Amelie Allen, James Weaver, Hayes Young, William Weaver, and Graham Young. Jane is also survived by a brother, Dale Frederick of Lafayette.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, June 10, 2024, from 4:00 PM until 9:00 PM. A rosary will be prayed at 6:30 PM by Jane and Rex’s children, as they did as a family daily. Visitation will continue on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at Vincent Funeral Home, from 10:00 AM until 3:15 PM when the procession departs for the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any charitable contributions be made to Hospice of Acadiana at hospiceacadiana.com or to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at stjudememorialfoundation.org in honor of Jane Frederick Simon.
The Simon family would like to thank the compassionate staff of Hospice of Acadiana and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Dr. Michael Alexander, Dr. Virginia Kellner, Dr. Chad Vincent, Dr. James Bienvenu and other professionals who helped care for Jane. Heartfelt gratitude goes out from Jane’s family to the loving care givers who came into her home bringing friendship and assistance over the past few years. They include Jerie Olivier, Sylvia Willis, Ida Stelly, Olivia Briolo, Bonnie Benoit, Vickey Broussard, Donna Bodin, Debbie Baudoin, and Page Berard.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

(This is a column written by Managing Editor Chris Rosa of the Abbeville Meridional)

At first, the idea sounded great, but the more I thought about it, the less sure I became. 
I learned that a small group of Vermilion Parish residents wants to convert unused railroad tracks into a walking and biking trail. 
The plan is to remove the railroad tracks and create a trail from the Vermilion River in Abbeville to the Delcambre Canal. This initiative is known as “Rails to Trails.”
The goal is to get the state to help pay to remove the tracks and build a walking and biking trail where the tracks once were. 
Will it ever happen? Probably not. 
Here are my thoughts on why it may never happen. A lot of planning needs to be done before one rail is removed.
Environmental studies, community meetings, engineering consultations, DOTD meetings, law enforcement discussions, and meetings with city and government officials are necessary to determine responsibility for funding and maintenance of the trail.
Who will hire a  “Trail Manager?”  A trail manager oversees and maintains the 10-mile stretch of trail.
The trail manager will inform the government entity about any necessary repairs on the walking trail or if a biker has had an accident and plans to file a lawsuit due to injuries. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the trail?
Another million-dollar question is, who will provide walking/bike trail insurance? 
If the rail company gives up the land that the rail sat on, who now owns the land?
These are all questions that need to be answered before the process gets underway. I do not look for any government entity to take the lead on the walking/biking trail.
As a former cyclist, I would like the rails-to-trails idea to cover the entire parish, from Gueydan to Delcambre. 
The bike trail from Gueydan to Abbeville would be perfect because it is rural and has fewer intersections to worry about. However, I wouldn’t say I like the bike trail going through Abbeville because of the intersections. There are 21 intersections from the Vermilion River to John Hardy Drive, an accident between a car and a cyclist waiting to happen. 
With the idea still in the very early stages, a group of Abbeville citizens is against having a walking/biking trail in their backyard or on the side of their house. On Saturday, an organized meeting will occur in Abbeville to figure out how to squash the idea before it starts. 
They do not like the idea of the trail in their backyards or on the side of their houses, and I can not blame them. 
If this bike/walking trail idea begins to take off, some will support it and others will oppose it.
I do not see the Police Jury or the City of Abbeville spending money to help build the trail or to spend money to upkeep the trail.

 As the Vermilion Catholic Eagles navigate their Metro League schedule, four-sport athlete Jackson Trahan barely has time to eat and sleep.
 Before the Eagles squared off with Catholic High of New Iberia Monday under the lights at Ralph Sellers Field, Trahan had already played two basketball games and been to football workouts. While he admits it’s difficult, Trahan is fueled by the challenge.
“It’s nonstop,” Trahan said.  You go from sport to sport.  You never get a break.  I like that.  I like always being active.  I want to do it all while I can.”
 “It can be difficult.  We have football workouts at four in the afternoon.  Going from that straight to baseball is a little tough, but we get it done.”
 Trahan not only plays sports, but he also plays them well.
He starts on the offensive line at left tackle for the football team.  
That’s a very important position.  He’s responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blindside.  Despite not being your prototypical left tackle, Trahan credits technique and aggression for his success.
In basketball, Trahan starts as a power forward.  At 6’2”, he’s often giving up several inches to the competition.  While he doesn’t light up the scoreboard, he does all the dirty work.  He plays defense and rebounds and can score when he’s open.
“It’s not that I need to score,” Trahan said.  My mindset is what can I do to help.  I use the aggression I learned from football on the court.  You have to be aggressive when you’re smaller.  You must also do the little things, like take charges and box out.”  
On the diamond, Trahan plays first base.  His position is the most active behind pitcher and catcher.  He must be ready for every play and adjust to throws in a split second.  
He also excels in the batter’s box.  Monday night, Trahan went 2-3 at the plate, helping the Eagles complete the come-from-behind 3-2 victory.
 Trahan can also be found on the golf course in the Spring when he’s not playing baseball.
The drive to play and excel in four different sports comes from the relationships he’s built with his teammates over the years.  He’s known many of his teammates since they started school and has played sports with the same guys his entire athletic career.
“It’s the bond I’ve built with these guys over the years,” Trahan said.  “It’s untouchable and amazing.  We’ve been together since pre-K.  We’ve played travel ball together since we were like eight.  We’re really close.  We don’t fight with each other.  We get the next one.  We pick each other up. We believe in each other.”
When Trahan does have some time free from VC athletics, he works.  He cuts grass, works for Vermilion Jump Rentals owned by Colby Broussard, and works for Earl’s Furniture when they need him.
“I love it, especially cutting grass,” Trahan said.   “When I’m not doing that, I play golf.”
With his senior season on the horizon, Trahan would love to cap his high school career with four state championships.  He’s still smarting from the Eagles’ playoff losses in football and baseball last season.
“We’re hunting for state championships in football and baseball,” he said.  “Being undersized, any advantage we would have had was wiped out by the weather in football playoff loss.  We’re disappointed we lost in the second round of the baseball playoffs.”
Trahan doesn’t just work hard in athletics.  He’s carried a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and scored a 25 on the ACT.  
He plans to attend LSU after his senior year. He’s undecided on his major but has narrowed it down to computer science, mechanical engineering, or finance.  
That Trahan is a well-rounded student, athlete, and person is not an accident.  He credits his parents, coaches, and teammates for his current status.

“My parents have always encouraged me,” Trahan said.  “I love to make them proud.  We have the best coaching staff at VC.  They all work very hard.  They’re very good at what they do.
“As for my teammates, we’ve been playing together for over 10 years.  We come out here for each other.  The practices and the bus rides are so much fun because of them.  We are bonded.  We do it for each other.” 

CHICAGO — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Kennedy Marceaux of Kaplan High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year.
Marceaux is the first Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Kaplan High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Marceaux as Louisiana’s best high school softball player.
From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Amanda Freed (1997-98, Pacifica High School, Calif.), Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas), Rachel Garcia (2014-15 & 2012-13, Highland High School, Calif.) and Ava Brown (2022-23 & 2021-22, Lake Creek High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-6 senior shortstop posted a .615 batting average with 21 home runs and 50 runs batted in this past season, leading the Pirates (27-6) to the Non-Select Division III state tournament quarterfinals. Marceaux also collected 14 doubles, six triples and 25 stolen bases.
Ranked as the nation’s No. 7 recruit in the Class of 2024 by Extra Inning Softball, she scored 65 runs while posting a .704 on-base percentage and a 1.542 slugging percentage. She concluded her prep softball career with 83 home runs.
Marceaux is an active member of the 4-H club and has shown livestock at the parish, state and national levels since she was four years old. She has volunteered locally as the Kaplan High School football team manager and as a youth softball coach. She has also donated her time as part of multiple community service initiatives through her church. “Kennedy is so versatile and is definitely the most feared hitter we faced,” said Beth Domingue, head coach of Sam Houston High School. “I can count two times for sure that I’ve seen her actually not barrel a ball up. She’s the real deal.”
Marceaux has maintained a 3.52 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Alabama this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Marceaux joins recent Gatorade Louisiana Softball Players of the Year Addison Jackson (2022-23 & 2021-22, St. Amant High School) and Maci Bergeron (2020-21 & 2019-20, Notre Dame High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.