Samuel "Sammy" J. Noel

Abbeville—A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, December 18, 2023, at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Samuel Jesse Noel, 67, who passed away Tuesday, December 12, 2023.  He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Reverend Louis J. Richard officiating and Reverend Ted Broussard serving as Con Celebrant. Honored to serve as pallbearers will be Haies Devenport, Mark Devenport, Gerald Doucet, Eddie Melancon, Kade Smith, and Kane Webb. Honorary pallbearers will be Timmy Harrington, Henry Kasperski, Bill Petry, Brock Romero, and Trent Roy. Readings will be done by Cindy LeBlanc and Kana Webb. Gift Bearers will be Arlie Devenport, Adley Devenport, Amy Doucet, Alaina Smith, and Molly Webb.

He is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Pamela Andrepont Noel; sister, Christine Devenport (Dan); brother, Teddy Noel; and numerous nieces and nephews, Kevin and Greg Schiffer, Matthew Devenport, Amanda, Taylor, Andre’ and Emma Noel. He loved and adored his nieces Alaina Smith, Amy Doucet, and nephews Trent Roy, Mark Devenport and wife Ashli. He was blessed with his great nephew Haies Devenport and great nieces Arlie and Adley Devenport.

Sammy was a caring, hardworking, and dedicated man with an abundance of compassion for everyone. Many of his friends became a part of his ‘family’ and he cherished spending time with those he loved. He was a 1974 graduate of E. Broussard High School, received his B.S. degree in Agriculture Business in 1977 from USL, and a 1990 graduate of the inaugural LSU Agriculture Leadership Development Program, Class 1.   Sammy was a member of St. Anne Catholic Church in Cow Island and attended daily mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville. He was a lifelong resident of Cow Island where he farmed rice, cattle and crawfish for over 40 years, before retiring. After retiring, he continued working on his farm daily as he had always done. Sammy’s involvement in the rice and Louisiana agriculture industries began at a young age, when he became an active member or by serving on local and state organizations, including the Vermilion Rice Growers Association, LA Rice Growers Association, Vermilion Cattlemen’s Association, LA Cattlemen’s Association, Coulee Baton Drainage Board, and the White Lake Advisory Committee. He also served on the LA Farm Bureau Rice Advisory Committee, as President of Vermilion Farm Bureau from 1987 to 1991, on the LA Farm Bureau Federation State Board of Directors from 1999 to 2003, and the LA Rice Research Board from 2006 to 2023. Sammy was also honored as the Cecil McCrory Farmer of the Year in 1995 by the Abbeville Rotary Club, and countless other organizations.

The friendships and connections he made over the years with fellow agricultural producers and industry representatives dedicated to the advancement of Louisiana agriculture were ones he cherished. He often took on the role of the narrator, sharing the lively and entertaining recounts that typically made meetings productive yet memorable.  The annual LAFB meeting in New Orleans was one of his favorites. Whether sharing adventures with family and friends, hunting at his camp in Mississippi or abroad, and regularly hosting suppers at his camp in Perry, LA, Sammy delighted in the gatherings of fellowship and cooking for everyone, often taking the spoon from the cook!

He was preceded in death by his parents, Irene Joyce Trahan Noel and Theodule P. Noel;  sister, Catherine Noel Bass and her husband, Ken.

Sirach 7:15…Don’t hate hard work and farming….created by the Most High.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, December 18, 2023, from 9:30 AM until 1:45 PM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary being prayed at 10:30 AM.