Individual Details

Burial

Obituary: Louis Eugene Guillory “Prof”, age 92, who was a resident of Baton Rouge, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2015, surrounded by family. Louis was born on October 28, 1922 to Emile & Marie Guillory. He was a long time resident of Vinton, Louisiana and was a loved and respected Agriculture teacher for 50 years. He was a graduate of McNeese State University and Louisiana State University earning his Masters + 30. Louis was a WWII Army veteran and a Purple Heart recipient for injuries suffered in Saipan. He was an avid LSU fan. He is survived by his son, Clarence “Boo Boo/Rusty” Rothkamm (Martha), his daughter, Jo Anne Rothkamm Guidry (Chris), and Ednadeen Breaux Corley (Sonny); his grandchildren, H. Kay Rothkamm (Sandy), Stormy Rothkamm-Hambrice (Kevin), Trevor Collings (Rachel), Sheri Snyder (John), Latisha Beaugh (Edward), Melissa Castiglione (Franco), Margaret Corley, and Ben Corley (Jamie), fourteen great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and other family members. He found the love and comfort of new friends at Ollie Steele Burden Manor in Baton Rouge where he spent the last 3 years of his life. Louis is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Jewel Hoffpauir Rothkamm Guillory and wife of 7 years, Grace Holland Breaux Guillory; his parents, Emile and Marie Guillory; and 10 siblings. The family request that visiting hours be observed on Friday, June 19, 2015 at Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway from 9:00 AM until the time of services. Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 19, 2015 at 11:00 AM at Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Funeral Home in Baton Rouge, LA. Officiant will be Reverend Jay Hogewood. Graveside services and interment will follow at 2:00 PM with military honors at Ebenezer Methodist Church Cemetery, 2205 Ebenezer Road, Crowley, LA. Pallbearers will include Clarence “Boo Boo/Rusty” Rothkamm, H.Kay Rothkamm, Trevor Collings, Joseph Higgins, Andrew Rothkamm and Kevin Hambrice. Honorary pallbearers are Chris Guidry and Larry Lacouture. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you spend special time with your family. Memorial donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, The Disabled American Veterans or the charity of your choice. Family and friends may sign the online guest book or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.
Resthaven Gardens of Memory Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge is in charge of funeral arrangements.
The following tribute to Eugene by his son, Clarence Rothkamm, was read at his funeral and burial:
My daddy, Louis Eugene Guillory, has answered to many names over his lifetime: son, brother, cousin, friend, student, soldier, husband, daddy, Prof, Uncle Eugene, Guillory, Pa Pa, Grand Pa Pa, and Louis.
Each of these titles were meaningful to him and to those who uttered them. These titles described him in the terms of those who knew him in each of these roles. However if one word could be use to describe daddy, in any role it, it would be, “DETERMINED”.
On October 28, 1922, daddy was born in to an era where determination was needed to make it in the world. The son of french speaking parents, he was forced to abandon his native tongue when he entered school. As the youngest child of a farming family, he was determined to fulfill his mother's dream that her baby would graduate high school. While his mother took his place in the field, he attended school, determined to finish.
While in high school, his skill on the basketball court sparked a dream to become a basketball player and to one day play in Madison Square Gardens. Determination drove him to practice until he won a place on the Varsity Team at Belle City High School.
Shortly before graduation his teacher called each student's name and asked what they wanted to be upon graduation. The responses: doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc. were praised. The teacher came to his name and said, “Eugene, I don't have to ask what you'll be, you'll never be anything else except a farmer just like your daddy, you'll be in the fields the rest of your life.”
The remarks stung him, and stuck with him the rest of his life, but they also made him determined to prove the teacher wrong. And he did.
He walked to McNeese, no matter the Louisiana weather. Heat, rain, nor cold, stopped him from attending class, because he was focused on his goal: … make his mama's dream come true, and to prove the teacher wrong.
A call from Uncle Sam interrupted college and the basket ball dream. The Army needed troops so he was sent to New York to join a unit that required that all inductees be of the Irish Catholic faith.
Now, in WWII, Uncle Sam was as determined as daddy, to get what it wanted, so even though daddy wasn't Irish nor Catholic, he was formally initiated as an Honorary Irish Catholic. Then off this “Cajun Irish Catholic” US Army Infantry soldier went to do Uncle Sam's bidding.
His unit was shipped to Saipan, where his landing craft sank. He spent the night holding on to a piece of floating debris until he was rescued the following morning and reunited with his unit.
While fighting on Saipan, he was struck in the arm by a piece of shrapnel. The medics became lost on the way to the aid station. Unsure of the lines of engagement, they decided to hide him under a bush, and placed his loaded rifle on his chest, pointed to his chin. When daddy opened his eyes there was the biggest wasp nest he'd ever seen hanging just above his nose.
Fortunately the medics returned and got him to the aid station without further injury. He was sent state side and spent a year and a half in the hospital recuperating from his wound.
After serving his country, daddy returned to Lake Charles where he met and fell in love with a pretty Army widow with a young son and infant daughter. He was determined to make them his family.
One day while passing a church, he marched down to the pastor during the sermon and demanded that he marry him and my mother, Jewel, right then and there. And he did!
That's when he acquired the title “Daddy”. Which is what he has been to Jo Anne and me since 1946. And we're proud to have had him as our Daddy for almost 70 years.
With the new titles of husband and daddy, he once more became a student at SLI in Lafayette and continued his education, at LSU, graduating with a degree in Vocational Agriculture and another title, : “a Die Hard LSU Fan”. Which he remained the rest of his life.
After graduating in agriculture he landed a job teaching Vocational Ag to High School students in Vinton, Louisiana. His students won many FFA awards during his tenure.
While teaching he became a student once again, when he returned to McNeese and earned his Masters +30. This is when Daddy earned the title “Prof”. Which most people in Vinton still call him.
Daddy's tenure as a Calcasieu Parish educator spanned 50 years.
He taught for 35 years and was retired for 12 years. During retirement he had time to plant a garden with a few strawberries. But like daddy's determination it grew bigger each year and he discovered that he enjoyed sharing his strawberries with friends and family as much as he liked growing them.
Finally after 12 years of retirement he was asked to come back to teaching and restart the Ag program, part time, then at three schools, teaching a few classes each week, but it quickly turned in to a full time job. During this time our mother, Jewel, became ill and he lovingly tended to her through the ups and downs of her illnesses over a span of 7 years, until she died.
He continued to teach after Mama's death, and even after his remarriage to another widow, a long time family friend and colleague, Grace.
We had all known and loved Grace and her daughter Ednadeen through out our lives. Shortly after their marriage, Grace became ill and his own health began to decline, but he still, tenderly cared for her until her death. Shortly before her death he decided to retire for a second time. The second tenure had lasted 15 years.
After her death, daddy lived with us for a short while, because his health had declined over the past few years, but he suddenly insisted on getting sitters, determined to be as independent as possible.
Which he did for several years, until in the spring of 2012, when he had a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak, or eat.
He was placed on a feeding tube for a year and a half. Daddy went from the hospital, then to a rehab facility and then to a skilled nursing facility at Ollie Steele in Baton Rouge. He worked diligently to regain his strength and to cope with the effects of the stroke.
After exhausting all of the time allowed for physical rehab he moved to the nursing home side of Ollie Steele, Unit 1. Determined that he would regain his speech and ability to walk and write, he started exercising on his own; and practiced his speech in his room.
When Daddy moved to Unit 1, he gained the title, “Louis”, when he met John Cado.
John, an avid flower gardner, became his friend, and helped him with his rehab, especially speech.
Joyce Crosby, became his table mate and best friend. She patiently and lovingly encouraged him when he became frustrated, which he often did. She faithfully listened to his attempts at speech, and writing on his Boogie Board, which he carried with him everywhere. She was there to admire daddy's vegetable garden, of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell and hot peppers, and this year, watermelons!
Daddy was determined to grow these vegetables bigger and better each year, and he religiously tended to the plants and directed others JUST where to water them, every chance he got.
One year Daddy even tried to grow strawberries again, by insisting that I plant them at my house; even though I'd built him a planter per his instructions. Much to daddy's chagrin, they promptly died!
The day he last went to the hospital, he tended his garden and picked a tomato to give to Judith the loving nurse who tended him when he first arrived at Ollie over 3 years ago,
Daddy's tenacity and determination to do what he set out to do, was well recognized at Ollie, and he never stepped back when he decided he wanted to accomplish something.
Throughout his 92 years Daddy held many titles and he was determined to be the best he could be at each of them. He loved each of the roles but I believe his favorites were being a daddy, an uncle, a Pa Pa and a Grand Pa Pa.
Daddy was determined, daddy got tired and daddy got frustrated, but daddy never quit.
I'll miss you, Daddy.