1915
Paul
2007
Paul Ashton “Paddy” Bourgeois, Sr.
August 19, 1915 — December 29, 2007
He will be laid to rest next to his wife, Theresa Russo Bourgeois in St. Paul Cemetery with Father Gregory Chauvin officiating the services.
An avid hunter, fisher and sports enthusiast, Bourgeois began his life on a sugarcane plantation in Iberville Parish. In the early 1930’s, he was widely recognized for his athletic skill, especially in the boxing ring and on the football field. Bourgeois’ physical talents led him to Southwest Junior College in Summit, Mississippi, and Southwestern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette, Louisiana, on a football scholarship. He completed his studies in 1940 with a degree in Vocational Education from Louisiana State University; however he remained a loyal LSU Football fan, never missing a chance to cheer for the Tigers.
Paddy Bourgeois arrived in Abbeville in 1940 as an Assistant Supervisor with the Farm Home Administration, which led to an introduction to his future wife Theresa Russo. In 1941, before his first daughter was born, Bourgeois was inducted to the U.S. Army and received a commission in Field Artillery as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. He served overseas with the 7th Armored Division as Captain in charge of S-2 Operations in four European Campaigns: Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. Bourgeois was awarded the Bronze Star in 1945 for meritorious service. He was discharged from the Army in 1946, returning home to work with the Abbeville Bottle Works.
By 1949, Bourgeois had found his true calling with a position as Instructor of the Veterans on-the-job Training program through the Vermilion Parish School Board. This led to a long career as a pioneer in Louisiana’s Vocational Education system, beginning right here at Gulf Area Vocational-Technical School as an Instructor in the Itinerant Farm Mechanic Program. He later served as Coordinator and Supervisor Trainer, organizing training programs along the Gulf Coast, including actively assisting in the development of the Nautical School Ship Program in Morgan City, Louisiana, as well as training for personnel and management in the oil, petroleum, boat operation, fisheries and sugarcane industries.
In 1962, Bourgeois was named Director of Sullivan Vocational-Technical Institute in Bogalusa, Louisiana, where he continued to shape educational programs and policies so successful they remain in practice today, long after his retirement in 1984. Then State Senator and long-time friend B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn described his influence on Louisiana’s Vocational Education system, saying, “If he hasn’t thought of it yet, it can’t be done.” This assertion was proven over and over, as the Sullivan campus became a national leader, expanding the number of instructors and programs offered to include the latest technological developments and the use of off-site locations to better reach students, which resulted in the creation of a Vocational-Technical Institute in Slidell. Additionally, the Sullivan Campus was the first in Louisiana to be accredited, an accomplishment Bourgeois was particularly proud of as it helped lay the foundation for what is now Louisiana’s Technical College System.
Bourgeois was active in local and state political and civic organizations. He served four years on the Abbeville City Council, was tenacious when lobbying the Louisiana Legislature, and was active in the Rotary Club, the American Legion, Woodmen of the World, Abbeville High Boosters’ Club, Bogalusa High Boosters’ Club and Tiger Athletic Foundation. He even found time to pass on his love for athletics as a coach of youth football and baseball teams.
Renowned for his expertise as a hunter and fisherman, Bourgeois always had assistance in that area from the champion registered bird dogs and Labrador retrievers he raised and trained, not to mention his many hunting and fishing buddies.
He is survived by his daughter Janice Bourgeois Macomber and son Paul Ashton Bourgeois, Jr. and his wife Sarah Rester Bourgeois; grandchildren Allison Baier Totaro and husband Ronald Totaro, Anna Katherine Baier Ray and husband Douglas Ray, Joseph Louis Baier, Jr., Ellen Louise Macomber, Colleen Ashton Macomber, Katherine Emily Bourgeois, Julie Anne Bourgeois, Theresa Marie Bourgeois and Patricia Ashley Bourgeois; great-grandchildren John and Amelia Totaro and Louis and Julie Ray; sisters Betty Bourgeois LeBauve and Carolyn Bourgeois Vicknair and husband V.J. Vicknair; brother Adrien Bourgeois and wife Sis Bourgeois; brothers-in-law Raymond “Kotchie” Russo, William “Bubba” Russo and wife Patricia Russo and Raymond Marchand, Sr; sister-in-law Ruth Bourgeois; as well as numerous nieces and nephews who will dearly miss their Uncle Paddy.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Theresa Russo Bourgeois; daughter, Julie Bourgeois Baier; son-in-law, Donald Macomber III; brothers, Prentice and Carlton Bourgeois; sister Juanita Bourgeois Marchand; brothers-in-law Rodney LeBauve, Peter S. Russo, David J. Russo and Robert Russo; sister-in-law Josephine Ann Russo; and parents, Paul Ewell Bourgeois and Emily Hicks Bourgeois.
The Bourgeois family wishes to thank the staff of Eastridge Assisted Living and Eastridge Nursing Home for their services and is especially grateful to the kindness and loving care provided by Odelia Harrison, Cecilia Evans and Aiesha Green.
Visitation will be at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church immediately preceding the memorial service.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Paul Ashton “Paddy” Bourgeois, Sr., please visit our flower store.
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