GEOFFREY MICHEL / L’Observateur / May 19, 1999

Mother’s Day 1999 will always hold a special place in my heart. Sunday, May 9was not only Mother’s Day but also my mom’s 40th birthday. My Dad and I headedto the seafood store that morning to get the crawfish that my mom wanted for lunch. I had quite a laugh as my dad came out of the store straining to carry thesack of crawfish that he had just purchased. He is so old that he even had tostop half way to the truck just to regain his energy. (This is the same man whoran the Boston Marathon a few years ago.)After starting our crawfish boil, our day of laughter and joy turned to one of despair and sorrow. Before my Maw-Maw Michel showed up at our house we sawa report about the tragic bus crash in New Orleans. After my maw-maw arrivedwe heard the news that the bus trip originated in LaPlace. We then realizedthat two of my great aunts were on that bus – my maw maw’s two remaining sisters. After hours of phone calls, the information slowly trickled in. Wefound one of her sisters, Aline Gueret, in the hospital with 10 broken ribs. Itwas later in the day when we found out that her other sister, Ann Torres, had passed away in the crash.

After talking to my dad and thinking about my memories of her, there are several things that stick out in my mind besides the fact that she was the only person in the world to cook as well as my Maw-Maw Michel. The fact is that shealways was happy and cheerful, no matter what the circumstances were. Shenever had anything bad to say about anyone, only positive things. But most ofall is the way that she always served others.

She worked in the St. Joan of Arc cafeteria for years, not for the money, but forthe opportunity to serve the children that she adored. She always had time tolisten to your problems or lend a hand, never even mentioning hers. It was nosurprise when the newspaper article mentioned that when the accident occurred that she was up passing out cupcakes that she baked on the Saturday before her death. She died as she had lived, always serving others.At her services a section of scripture was read from the book of Proverbs. Theselection was Proverbs 31:10-31, which describes the ideal wife. In theAmplified Bible, verse 20 sticks in my mind. “She opens her hand to the poor,yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy (whether in body, mind or spirit).” She was a model example of this, not only for her family, but foreveryone.

Many people will miss Aunt Ann. She touched many lives.If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at “straightkids@juno.com” or P.O. Box 1493, LaPlace, La. 70069.Back to Top

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