2006 Obituaries; Surnames C; Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Submitter Kathy Tell Date 03 Jan 2007 Source as noted with each obit ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** CELESTINE, Hilda 01/07/2006 The Daily Advertiser ABBEVILLE - Hilda Celestine, 77, died at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, at her residence. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at St. Theresa Catholic Church. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be observed from 8 a.m. today until time of services with a rosary recited at 8 a.m. David Funeral Home of Abbeville is in charge of arrangements. COOPER, Silas Berry, Jr. The Daily Advertiser March 10, 2006 Silas Berry Cooper, Jr., age 75, died quietly Tuesday evening, March 7, 2006, at his home on Fifth Street in Abbeville, Louisiana. His loving wife, Patricia, was at his side. An advocate to the end, Mr. Cooper spent his last day, as he had spent so many before, arguing a case in court where he defended a local family from a large outside business interest. At the time of his death, Mr. Cooper was happily married to Patricia Anderson Segura Cooper, who survives him. He was previously married for more than 50 wonderful years to his beloved wife, Carolyn Watts Cooper, who predeceased him January 1, 2004. He was the beloved and respected father of three sons, Robert Howard Cooper, of Mandeville, Silas B. Cooper, III, of Tujunga, Calif, and his youngest, James Elliott Cooper, who predeceased him in 2001. In addition to his wife and two sons, Mr. Cooper is survived by his grandchildren, Douglas Wyatt Cooper, Lydia Catherine Cooper and Edward Paul Cooper, and their mother, Barbara Ann Cooper, of Covington, Louisiana, and his youngest grandchild, Jane Clara Cooper, and her mother, his daughter-in-law, Liann Pattison Cooper. Mr. Cooper is also survived by his beloved sister, Betty Cooper Merritt, of Austin, Texas, and her daughters, his cherished nieces, Elizabeth Merritt Connolly and Mary Ann Merritt. Mr. Cooper will be deeply missed by his step children, Huey F. Segura, Jr., of Lafayette, Virginia Segura Myers, of Winston-Salem, N.C., Amelia Segura Patout of New Iberia, and his four step grandchildren, Jillian and Drew Segura, of Broussard, and Aleece and Hayden Patout, of New Iberia,. He also leaves behind his efficient and patient secretary, Brenda Vondenstein Lege, who helped him with a daughter's devotion for many, many years. Mr. Cooper was born August 10, 1930 in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Silas Berry Cooper and Sarah Simmons Cooper. His father's Southern Baptist ministry called the family to multiple locations throughout the deep South, and Mr. Cooper grew up in small towns like Tupelo, Ms and big ones like Birmingham, Al. Mr. Cooper's father, a World War I U. S. Army veteran, also served as a U. S. Navy Chaplain with the Seabee's in the South Pacific in World War II. That service brought the family to Ventura, Calif. where Mr. Cooper spent his high school years reading letters his father sent from Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. After the war, the family returned to Clinton, Ms where Mr. Cooper enrolled in Mississippi College, the fourth consecutive generation of his family to do so. In his junior year, Mr. Cooper met a charming young freshman, Carolyn Watts, when he asked to share her umbrella in a sudden thunderstorm. Romance blossomed and the two were married shortly before Mr. Cooper entered the U. S. Army in 1952. After training in Japan, Mr. Cooper saw combat service in South Korea. A fiercely patriotic veteran, Mr. Cooper was always proud of his and his father's military service on behalf of the United States. Upon completion of his military commitment, Mr. Cooper returned to Mississippi College where he and Carolyn graduated together in 1954. A brief stint with the Southern Pacific Railroad negotiating leases and rights-of-way, led to enrollment in Tulane Law School, from which he graduated in 1959. An ardent supporter of Tulane University athletics, Mr. Cooper had both the strength of character and the moral fiber to be a Green Wave fan for the rest of his life, proudly defying the purple and gold hordes that infest Southwest Louisiana. Upon entry to the Louisiana State Bar, Mr. Cooper began his legal career in Lafayette with the Davidson and Meaux firm. Although he and his wife had no family ties to the region, Mr. Cooper was fond of stating they chose it because the food, culture and warmth of its people made it the perfect place to raise their family. In 1962 Mr. Cooper moved his family to Abbeville, where he entered into partnership with J. E. Kibbe and Roger C. Edwards. Mr. Cooper continued his practice of law on behalf of the citizens of Abbeville, great and small, for the next 44 years. His advocacy for his clients brought him before courts ranging from the smallest local venues to the U. S. Supreme Court. As an active citizen of the community, Mr. Cooper served on the Vermilion Parish School Board and as city attorney for many local municipalities. A former president of the Vermilion Parish Bar Association, Mr. Cooper also served on the Board of Governors for the Louisiana State Bar Association, was a member of the Judicial Council of the Louisiana Supreme Court, President of the Tulane Law Alumni Association, and was honored by the Louisiana State Bar Association in 2002 for his more than thirty years of service, most of it as Chairman, on its Group Insurance Committees. A lifelong Southern Baptist, Mr. Cooper proudly served as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Abbeville. A Rotarian for more than 40 years, he was active in the Abbeville Rotary Club, and served as District Governor for many years. He especially enjoyed hosting Rotarians visiting from overseas, and traveling with his fellow Rotarians to foreign countries. An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Cooper served as regional counsel for the National Audubon Society for more than 30 years. He was one of the area's foremost authorities on the life and works of John James Audubon, and was often asked to speak on the topic. In addition to watching birds, Mr. Cooper had a passion for shooting and eating some species, particularly teal, mallards and other water fowl. He annually joined his best friends, Put and Frosty, for a trip to the Texas Hill Country to hunt deer, turkey and peace and quiet. As a devoted father and grandfather, Mr. Cooper taught his love of sports, the outdoors, and history to his sons and grandchildren. With a lifelong interest in history, Mr. Cooper had a keen eye for the "story of the place", which he always shared with his traveling companions. Whether on a family vacation, hunting expedition, business trip, or drive in the country, Silas could tell you what had happened in the place, who had been involved, and why it was important. He could also be counted upon to know the best local place for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, and which local delicacy had to be sampled. A true gourmand, Mr. Cooper sought out and enjoyed all that life had to offer, no matter where he found himself. He will be deeply missed, and remembered with love and respect, by his family, friends, clients and supporters. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, 2006 at the First Baptist Church of Abbeville. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home, 209 South Saint Charles, Abbeville, and Friday, March 10th from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 11th from 8:00 a.m. until time of services. Donations in memory of Mr. Cooper may be made to: Texas Children's Hospital, 6301 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, James Elliott Cooper Memorial. All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville (337) 893-4661.