1926
Willa Petry
2011
Willa Petry Fletcher
August 1, 1926 — December 31, 2011
A native and life-long resident of Kaplan, Willa was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend to all who knew her. Her life began on a small farm outside of Kaplan, LA. She was a graduate of Kaplan High School and Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL), with a B.S. degree in Business Education. She married Eustacchio Louis Ciabotti in 1947 and moved to Rome, New York where they had three daughters. After his death twelve years later, she returned to Lafayette to work for a law firm, and then helped open Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital in Kaplan as Business Manager and Registered Medical Record Administrator. She later married Dr. George L. Fletcher of Kaplan.
As a young wife and mother, she was also active in the community. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Catholic Daughters of America, Past-President of the International Relations Association of Acadiana (TIRAA), CODOFIL, Acadiana Military Officers Association, Gingham Maids Homemaker's Club, Volunteer for Family and Community, Daughters of the American Revolution, National Guard Officers Auxiliary, Past-President of the Kaplan Lions Club, Kaplan Rotary Club, Cajun Area Agency, on the Board of Directors for the Vermilion Council on Aging, and served on the Legislative Committee for the Louisiana Council on Aging.
Willa was a world traveler. It began with a trip to Europe arranged by the Pentagon with her husband, Dr. George Fletcher and four of their children to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of D-Day in Deauville, France. Her life of travels included trips to 70 countries on six continents. She visited the Taj Mahal in India, rode the camels at the Great Pyramids in Egypt and saw the Great Sphinx. Willa had many stories to tell about her travels, a favorite being the one about the penguins on the mountains in Antarctica! Her domestic travel included trips through all 50 states in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. She also loved to square-dance, and enjoyed making many good friends as a member of the Dixie Twirlers Square Dance Club. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.
She is survived by three daughters, Cathy and her husband, David T. (Tim) Burdette of Kaplan, Nancy and her husband, Paul Ducrest of Lafayette, and Carol and her husband, Byron Guillory of Youngsville; three step-children, Karen and her husband, Bobby Dickman of Lancaster, PA, Sharon Thurston of Houston, TX, and George Fletcher, Jr. and his wife, Barbara of Houston, TX; five grandsons, Tim Burdette and his wife, Karen, Andrew Burdette and his wife, Andrea, Neil Broussard and his wife, Kendall, Matt Broussard, and Clay Guillory, all of Lafayette; two great-grandchildren, Carter and Ava Burdette of Lafayette; one sister, Verna and her husband, Alex Cormier of Abbeville, and numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and step-nieces.
She was preceded in death as a young wife by her husband, Eustacchio Louis Ciabotti and later by Dr. George Fletcher of Kaplan; her parents, Elie Petry and the former Mathilde Hebert.
Special thanks to the entire staff of Hospice of Acadiana and to Agnes Kilchrist and all of her loving, compassionate "angels", especially Carol and Gina.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Avenue, on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a rosary to be prayed at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, January 4, 2012 from 8 a.m. until the procession departs for the church.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Willa Petry Fletcher, please visit our flower store.
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