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September 28, 1927 ~ May 23, 2020

ABBEVILLE — It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of Ollie T. Noel, age 92. Ollie passed away on May 23, 2020 in her home with her doting daughter at her side.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Father Don Bernard officiating the services.
She is survived by her daughter, Sandra H. Smith; three grandchildren, Shawn Fritz and fiancée, Tammy Cormier, Lisa Toups and husband, Mickey, and Baret Fritz; and five great grandchildren.
She was proceeded in death by the love of her life, Walter Pete Noel; her first husband and Sandra’s father, William Harrengton; her parents, Wilfred and Loretta Trahan; and her brothers; Murray Trahan, Sr. and Riley Trahan.
Ollie was a devoted Catholic and said her rosary every day. She was a homemaker, wife, mother, grandmother and aunt. She enjoyed playing cards, and she especially liked winning. She also enjoyed traveling with her best friend Kathy Chilton, where she was always the hottest babe in the crowd. She may have had 40 years on her fellow travelers, but she was irresistible to the men. Her favorite activity was spending time with her many, many friends.
She loved a good joke – the naughtier and dirtier, the better! Ollie could also take a joke. She loved to laugh, and her laugh was infectious. You could not be around Ollie and be in a bad mood.
She had an extensive vocabulary of curse words, probably more than most people learn in a lifetime. Ollie was more than the life of the party. She fed and mothered a vast extended family. There are many who were unrelated to Ollie but refer to her as mom. They tell story after story about her feeding them or taking them in when they were young.
Everyone always knew where they stood with her. She liked you or she did not, it was black or white. There were very few people that Ollie disliked. If she disliked someone, there was likely a good reason.
Ollie was beloved by most everyone. She had lots and lots of friends. She was admired and adored by them all. Once you met Ollie, you never forgot her. She was not sophisticated, but she could assess the worth of someone or something long before anyone said a word. No one, not a single soul, would want for comfort while she had a say in the matter. You could depend on her.
Ollie was a strong, determined, independent and fiercely loyal woman. There really are no words to capture the essence of Ollie. God broke the mold with her, and there will never be another like her.
All people die, but not all people live. Ollie lived, and she loved, and she laughed. She packed two lifetimes into her 92 years. She traveled, she worked, and she worked brutally hard. She cooked. She was known all over for Vermilion Parish for her fabulous culinary skills. She fell in love, mended a broken heart from the deaths of the three people she loved the most, and still put one foot in front of the other. She did so with grace, integrity and courage.
We will miss you Ollie – every second of every minute of hour of every day. We will miss the way your face lit up and the way your eyes twinkled every time you laughed. We will miss your on the mouth kisses. We will miss the long, comforting hugs. We will miss you. However, we have your memories and we know that you are thrilled to be reunited with your mom, Pete, and Riley. Give your mom a kiss. Dance to a good belly rubbin’ song with Pete and laugh until you cry with Riley. We will hold you close in our hearts forever.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Thursday, May 28, 2020 from 9:00 AM until 1:45 PM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary will be prayed at 11:00 AM.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

GUEYDAN - The Gueydan Duck Festival has joined the long list of festivals being canceled because of COVID-19.
On Tuesday, Jerrod Broussard, the president of the Gueydan Duck Festival, announced the festival board of directors voted to cancel the festival, which was scheduled to be held in August.
“After much deliberation and heavy hearts, the festival board has made the very hard decision to cancel the 2020 Duck Festival,” said Broussard in a press release.
Broussard said because of the state guidelines, the board felt that it was in the best interest for the health and safety of their loyal patrons to cancel the festival.
The board of directors thanked their sponsors for being loyal throughout the year and because many may be experiencing financial hardships during the pandemic.
Broussard announced that the 2019 Gueydan Duck Festival Queen Rebekah PePretre and Teen Queen Sarah McAllister will continue their reigns and represent the Duck Festival until August of 2021.
The board of directors have already begun preparing for next year.
“Our sights are already set on preparing to make the 2020 Gueydan Duck Festival the best in history and we will work hard until then to plan out every detail to make sure that we achieve that goal,” said Broussard.
Other festivals from Vermilion Parish that have already been canceled due to the coronavirus are the Cattle Festival, Cake and Ice Cream Festival, Fourth of July Celebration and the Daylily Festival.

ERATH — A milestone for Karla Langlinais is only days away.
June 6 will mark Langlinais’ retirement as Dozier Elementary Principal. While she’ll be working up until the last minute on June 5, there’s an excitement for the big moment.
“It is a wonderful feeling to have reached this goal, Langlinais said. “I am very proud of this accomplishment. When I first started teaching 33 years ago my goal was just to get to 30 and I have surpassed it.”
Langlinais has spent years at other schools including time as an assistant principal at Eaton Park Elementary and Kaplan Elementary. Fifteen of her years came as a teacher at Dozier Elementary. She earned Dozier Teacher of the Year in 2000-2001. During the nine years she has been the principal at Dozier, Langlinais has twice earned Vermilion Parish Principal of the Year. By the way, Langlinais attended Dozier Elementary as a student. To say the least, Dozier Elementary has been an important part of Langlinais’ life.
“Having attended Dozier I have lots of love and regards towards this school and the community,” There are many memories of me playing on the playground or walking through the halls as an elementary student.
“My favorite memories are of Homecoming visitations.”
Unfortunately, the last three months of Langlinais’ time as principal came without students on the playground or walking the hallways. The COVID-19 pandemic cut the school year short in mid-March.
“It definitely was a tough one,” Langlainais said of how the year ended. “It has been difficult not being around the staff and students. Many things were planned for our students and staff and I am sad I could not have shared that with them.
“I truly miss my students and faculty and would like to have gone out under better circumstances.”
As many do at retirement, Langlinais will reflect on her career. There are plenty of good memories.
“I have many favorite memories but if I had to choose one it would be the day I was surprised with the announcement of being named Elementary Principal of the Year,” Langlinais said.
Langlinais is ready to begin her first year of retirement, even if her original plans have changed a bit.
“I did have plans for a trip on June 6,” Langlinais said, “but that will be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So it will be just a relaxful day at home or a possible short road trip.”

The last goodbye is always the hardest one.
For Wendy Stoute, that is saying farewell to a place that has meant so much to her.
Stoute, a longtime Vermilion Parish educator, will be retiring as principal at Erath Middle School.
“For me, this is a very bittersweet moment in my life,” Stoute said. “It is not easy leaving a career that I was called to do. I love working with kids, I love working with my teachers, and I love making a positive impact in the lives of our youth. It’s just what I do, and what I’ve always done.
“So, it is very hard to say goodbye to this job, but I am ready to move forward and see what my future holds.”
Stoute’s official last day will be on June 5. She’s certainly not coasting into the sunset.
“I have not slowed down enough to even think about that day,” But, my official last day is June 5th, 2020, so my retirement begins June 6th (it’s so close)!!”
Stoute is a native of Erath. She taught at EMS for 13 years. She made moves to J.H. Williams, Cecil Picard Elementary at Maurice and Eaton Park Elementary in various roles, before returning to Erath Middle as principal in 2015.
“I honestly know what people mean when they say ‘my life has come full circle’,” Stoute said. “Erath is my home. I grew up in Erath, raised my family here, I own a local business here, and I still live here. In fact, my very first teaching job in 1989 was at Erath Middle School (I walk by my first classroom every day). And, although I have taught in Erath for many years, it is not the only place in this parish that I have worked. I’ve had an amazing career, and once I became an administrator, my job brought me to different schools (J.H. Williams, Cecil Picard Elementary, Eaton Park Elementary) allowing me to work with so many amazing educators in our parish.
“These experiences and relationships along with staying true to my hometown roots have made me successful in my current position at Erath Middle School. Erath Middle School means so much to me, and so it is only fitting to end my career and the very place where it began.”
Stoute will always remember how that career began.
“When I leave on June 5,” Stoute said, “I will remember that back in 1989, someone at Erath Middle School took a chance on me (Ebrar Reaux, principal at the time) and couldn’t imagine retiring at any other school.”
As for memories collected during more than 30 years, those are too many to count.
“I have so many memorable experiences in my career that I cannot pick just one,” Stoute said. “Every school that I worked at was unique and has its own set of special memories. When you work in a field that is centered around children, every day brings about special moments and enough laughter to last a lifetime. Honestly, I’ve had an amazing career and I would not change one thing! I set out at the beginning of my career to “make a difference” in the lives of children. And all my decisions have been based on what was best for my students.
“It is because of this that I feel I am leaving with friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.”
There are going to be many challenges to face within a lifetime. Stoute has seen some of those in the years leading up to retirement.
“These past two years have been difficult,” Stoute said. “First, I lost my mother in March, and then this November, I lost the love of my life, Tom. After Tom’s passing, I knew I needed to take time to heal and really focus on myself.”
Along with personal challenges, there are challenges we all share. Few have been as tough as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those effects is the school year being cut short.
“I never saw this year ending the way it has. It all happened so fast,” I had seen the Coronavirus in the news but did not even foresee the huge impact it would make on the world. I never thought that March 13 would be the last time I’d see the hallways of my school filled with children. I didn’t know that would be the last day I’d hear the laughter at recess or walk through classrooms of eager students learning from my energetic, hardworking teachers. I will miss my students, faculty, and staff so very much.
“As I walk the hallways of an empty school building, my heart is broken knowing that March 13 was the last time I would ever interact with them. My favorite part of the day is the interaction with my students and teachers.”
Retirement is officially coming in few days. It’s still an odd thought for Stoute.
“Retiring is a word that I am going to have to get used to,” Stoute said. “I am truly someone who is constantly on the move, and I am going to have to learn to slow down. But I have a few things that I know that I am going to do. I am going to travel to places I’ve always wanted to go to and haven’t been. I am going to read books that have been on my ‘must read’ list for years. I will garden, learn new skills, play with my grandchildren, enjoy being around friends... I guess in short, I plan to stay busy!”
Stoute is preparing to say a difficult goodbye on June 5. However, it’s possible that it may not be her last goodbye to education, something that has meant so much to her.
“I am going to take this upcoming year to focus on myself and my family,” Stoute said. “I am going to do things that I have always wanted to do. But, education is more than a job to me, it is my life. So, I don’t think this retirement is the end of my career. I believe you all will be seeing me back in education in some form in the very near future.
“I cannot imagine not returning to this career; it’s my calling in life.”