On Nov. 26, 1935, in a raised Acadian house along Mt. Airy’s portion of the Mississippi River, a baby girl was born to the Boé family.

Her 47-year-old mother named her Marion, a name that lasted only a few days. The eldest daughter in the family, Martha, took the baby to be baptized and on the way to the church, changed her name to Jeanne.

Today, my three siblings and I call her Mama, and her 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren call her Mimi.

Mama, the youngest of eight children, grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing.

Oil lamps lit the cozy kitchen for the children to complete their homework, and later for their Papa and his friends to play cards.

A tin tub was regularly brought into the same room for baths, and an outhouse sat behind the garage.

Aunt Martha, the name-changer, had the constant fear that a date would see her exiting the outhouse.

Mémère, Mama’s mother, had a fear of her own — broken bones, which is why her children could only skate with one skate.

Stories of the past 80 years of life abound, and Mama can repeat them in French, the only language spoken by her mother, or English. By the time Mama was in first grade, she was fluent in both.

She graduated high school on a Friday and reported to Godchaux Sugar Refinery the following Monday.

A co-worker, Louis Keller, often spoke of his son, Harold, who was in the Navy.

Keller died of a heart attack shortly after, never knowing that Mama would eventually marry his son or seeing the grandchildren he anticipated. (How is it possible that I sorely miss someone I’ve  never met?)

Last month, a few days prior to her 80th birthday, our family gathered at Petra’s to celebrate Mama’s life.

The only grandchild missing was Kerri. She and her husband Justin were at their son’s baseball play-off game.

Mama not only understood their absence, but probably harbored a secret desire to be at Dylan’s game, too.

Over the years, the front of her refrigerator has been covered with more sports schedules than photos, and she and my Dad witnessed most of those games.

Kerri’s family joined in her second birthday celebration, which quite appropriately fell on Thanksgiving.

Mama has given us many reasons to daily give thanks.

She has held our family together, shown unconditional love to not only her children and grandchildren but to the mates and friends we have added to the clan, and makes the best peanut butter fudge in the world.

I have huge shoes to fill.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.