Obituaries
Claudia "Merle" Bates
Aug 20, 2026
Claudia "Merle" Bates, 90, of Greenwell Springs, LA, passed away with love on August 20th, 2026. She was born in Baton Rouge and graduated from lstrouma High School in 1954. She married Raymond "Razer" Bates, her high school sweetheart, in 1953 until his passing in 2006.
Merle, as she was always called, was the talk of the neighborhood in Central. She...
John M. Pearson Sr.
Aug 19, 2026
John M. Pearson, Sr., passed away on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at the age of 77.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 28, 2026, from 4:00-7:00pm at Resthaven Funeral Home. Visitation will continue Saturday, august 29, 2026 from 9:00-10:00am, followed by a Funeral Service at 10:00am. Burial will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Friends and Family are invited to...
Ruby Firmin Bacon
Aug 19, 2026
Ruby Firmin Bacon, a native of Simmesport and a resident of Baton Rouge, LA, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at the age of 92. Before retiring, she spent her career working as a lab assistant at the Pathology Group of Louisiana
Ruby was a member of the Sunshine Band, where they played at multiple nursing homes....
Gwen Davis Crouch
Aug 18, 2026
Gwendolyn “Gwen” Davis Crouch passed away peacefully at home on August 18, 2026.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 1, 1940, she grew up in the close-knit community of Gramercy. After graduating from Lutcher High School, she moved to Baton Rouge to attend Louisiana State University, where she got a degree in early education. She began and ended her teaching...
Wilton "Sonny" J. Pino
Aug 17, 2026
Wilton Joseph (Sonny) Pino, Jr., age 96 passed away in Sandy Springs, GA on August 17, 2026. Sonny was born in Baton Rouge, LA on June 21, 1930, to Wilton Joseph Pino, Sr. and Ida Mae Davis Pino and attended school in Baker, LA. He met the love of his life, Patsy Ruth Vick, at the Community Club in Baton...
Dr. Allan “Doc” Roy Allbritton
Aug 17, 2026
Allan Roy Allbritton, DVM, PhD, age 91, passed after a long illness under hospice care at The Pearl at Jamestown, an assisted living facility in Baton Rouge, on August 17, 2026. He was pre-deceased by his wife of over 70 years, Irene Shiel Allbritton, who died August 20, 2024. Allan and Irene were long-time members of St. Theresa Catholic Church...
J. Stanley “Skip” Bertman
Aug 14, 2026
J. Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the legendary LSU baseball coach and athletics director whose innovative vision significantly impacted the state of Louisiana, its flagship university, and the evolution of collegiate athletics, passed away early Friday morning, August 14, 2026, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 88 years old.
Bertman, born in Detroit, Michigan on May 23, 1938, and raised in Miami Beach,...
Gail Chastant
Aug 14, 2026
To the world, she was Gail Chastant.
To her family, she was the World.
Theresa “Gail” White Chastant passed away on August 14, 2026. The youngest of five children, Gail was a devoted wife, loving mother, treasured grandmother, and faithful friend. Her warm smile, gentle spirit, quiet strength, and unwavering kindness left a lasting imprint on everyone she encountered.
Gail shared a love...
Christina Louise Plaisance
Aug 14, 2026
Christina Louise Plaisance, born on February 18, 1949, passed away on Friday, August 14, 2026, at the age of 77.
Christina was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. She earned her Bachelors from Louisiana State University. After she graduated, she spent years creating a loving home to raise her family in. Christina was a member of Grace Life Fellowship Church, and always enjoyed...
Gerald E. Moses Jr.
Aug 13, 2026
Gerald Eugene Moses, Jr., passed away peacefully in his home on August 13, 2026. He was 94. He was born in La Porte, Texas, on February 27,1932, and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston in 1950.
He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1949 and served with the First Marine Division in Korea from 1950 to 1951. He...
Mildred Jesse George
Aug 13, 2026
Mildred Jesse George, 94, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2026. She was born on January 5, 1932, in Kingsville, Texas, to Emil Adolf Jesse and Irene Broderhausen Jesse, and was raised on a farm in South Texas alongside her four sisters and one brother. From an early age, she valued family deeply, a devotion that remained central throughout her...
Robert "Bryan" Niebuhr
Aug 12, 2026
Bryan Niebuhr, age 70, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, due to complications from several chronic illnesses.
He was born in New York, NY, on October 19, 1955, and spent his youth near Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore where he excelled in many sports, most notably wrestling and football. He received a...
Annie Higginbotham Sanford
Aug 10, 2026
Annie Higginbotham Sanford, 89, passed away in Baton Rouge on August 10, 2026. Annie grew up in Gueydan and Church Point, Louisiana. She was the daughter of the late Iram and Mabel (Lyons) Higginbotham. After graduating as co-valedictorian of Church Point High School, she moved to Baton Rouge to attend Louisiana State University (LSU).
While studying accounting at LSU, she met...
Myrna B. Clement
Aug 10, 2026
Myrna B. Clement, born on September 20, 1941, passed away on Monday, August 10, 2026, at the age of 84.
Myrna was born in French Settlement, Louisiana. After graduating from high school, she spent many years creating a loving home to raise her family in. She was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and St. George Catholic Church. Myrna always...
Patsy Dyson Pickett
Aug 8, 2026
Patsy Dyson Pickett, 78, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and native of Texarkana, Texas, passed away after a prolonged illness. Patsy lived a life centered around her love for her family.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Chambers Pickett III; her daughter, Claire Pickett; and her parents, Ernest Dyson and Ada Dyson.
She is survived by her daughter,...
Rusty Landry
Aug 7, 2026
Frederick Russell “Rusty” Landry, age 71, passed away on August 7, 2026. Born on December 28, 1954, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rusty lived his life with a quiet strength, a gentle spirit, and an unwavering love for his family.
Rusty began his career as a machinist shortly after graduating from high school. He later continued his education at Louisiana State University,...
Gerald "Jerry" Courtney
Aug 5, 2026
Gerald Wayne “Jerry” Courtney, a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away at the age of 77. Jerry was born in Baton Rouge to Bill N. Courtney and Melda Hoover Courtney. Following high school, he pursued biblical studies at Delgado Community College, beginning a lifelong journey of faith. Throughout the years, Jerry served as a leader in several church...
Juanita "Nita" C. McDonald
Aug 4, 2026
Juanita “Nita” C. McDonald, passed away on August 4, 2026, at the age of 85, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 6, 1940, to the late Vincent Cambre Sr. and Juanita Cambre.
Nita was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend to all who knew her. She devoted her life to caring for others...
Dr. James S. Langley
Aug 3, 2026
Dr. James Sidney Langley entered into eternal rest on Monday, August 3, 2026, at the age of 89.
Jim was born February 27,1937, in Kinder, Louisiana, to Isaac Langley, Sr. and Hysinth Leger Langley.
After graduating from Fenton High School, he attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL). Driven by a lifelong love of learning, Jim went to earn his Doctors of Dental...
Heaven De'Liylah McMorris
Aug 2, 2026
Heaven De'Lilyah McMorris, born on August 2, 2026, passed away on August 2, 2026. Heaven was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Domonique Melisa Thomas and Derrick Jamaine McMorris, Sr.
