TERREBONNE and LAFOURCHE Parishes, La.

OBITUARIY for TOUPS, MARIAN (COCKE)    

Submitted by: Louis Lavedan

Published in Houma Today & The Daily Comet from Jan. 18 to Jan. 19, 2014

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TOUPS, MARIAN (COCKE)  

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Marian Cocke Toups died in the early morning Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013, at the 
age of 87, after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease. 

A joint memorial service will be held for Donald and Marian Toups at 11 a.m. 
Saturday, March 15, 2014, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux. 

Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Thibodaux. 

She is survived by her three children, Elizabeth, Maria, and Don, and their 
families. 

Marian was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. 
She moved to Natchitoches as a child, where she studied music and foreign 
languages at Northwestern University. As part of her degree program, Marian 
studied in both Saltillo, Mexico, and Chicago, and held fond memories of those 
experiences throughout her life. 
In her early 20s Marian accepted a teaching position at Terrebonne High School. 
During her early years in South Louisiana, Marian's foreign language experience 
and her interest in other cultures helped her to understand Cajun language and 
customs. Those same interests likely helped Marian to understand Donald Toups, 
a Raceland native, to whom she was married from 1959 until her death. 
Marian was sweet, affectionate, compassionate, and generous. When circumstances 
demanded it, she could also be persistent, intractable, and a tough negotiator. 
As a teacher in Houma and later in Thibodaux, she was passionate about helping 
her students to grow and succeed, and she refused to accept the status quo if 
the status quo did not serve students' interests. As a parent, Marian instilled 
in her children a curiosity about the world and encouraged them to consider 
what possibilities might exist beyond those that were immediately visible. 

Marian will be missed by her children, grandchildren, and others who knew her 
and loved her. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her name to the Louisiana 
Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. 

E.J. Fielding Funeral Home in Covington is in charge of arrangements. 

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