Obituaries
Peggy S. Populis
Aug 28, 2026
Peggy Stringer Populis passed away peacefully at home on August 28, 2026. She was born on July 3rd and was a long-time resident of Walker, LA.
Meme, as she was affectionately known by her grandchildren and great grandchildren, was an accomplished artist. Her home was a testament to her talent. She enjoyed volunteering at her church's food pantry and found great...
Anthony Wayne Varnado
Aug 28, 2026
Anthony Wayne Varnado, born on February 23, 1964, passed away on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the age of 62.
Anthony was born in Kentwood, Louisiana. After graduating from high school, Anthony went on to become a maintenance worker at LSU and Southern University. He was a member of North Boulevard Macedonia Full Gospel Church. He always enjoyed playing cards, listening...
Harry L. Hudson
Aug 27, 2026
Harry Leach Hudson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, will forever be remembered for his warmth, love, and sense of humor. He passed away on August 27, 2026, at the age of 71.
Born on October 7, 1954, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Harry was the son of the late Richard “Dick” H. Hudson and Margaret Leach Hudson. He graduated from...
Cecile "Chee Chee" Blanchard McComas
Aug 25, 2026
Cecile "Chee Chee" Blanchard McComas, a resident of St. Francisville, Louisiana, passed away on August 25, 2026, at The Carpenter House in Baton Rouge, LA. A proud graduate of Redemptorist High School, Cecile lived a life defined by her love for family, hard work, and dedication to everyone she touched.
She was born August 18, 1937, in Baton Rouge, the eldest...
Ronald Paul Lambert
Aug 25, 2026
Ronald “Ronnie” Paul Lambert, a native and resident of Baton Rouge, LA, passed away on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 70. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting and worked as a CPA. He enjoyed golfing, cars, dancing, and an avid LSU and Saints fan.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Amanda Rachelle Lambert; and his...
Helen M. Rushing
Aug 25, 2026
Helen Marie Rushing, born in Lynn Haven, Florida on May 17, 1939, passed away peacefully at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital on August 25, 2026. After graduating from Bay County High school in Lynn Haven, Florida, she moved to Baton Rouge and began working for the Louisiana Department of Transportation where she met the love of her life, Hollis...
Lynn David Lyons
Aug 24, 2026
Lynn David Lyons passed away on Monday, August 24, 2026, at the age of 85. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Lawrence David Lyons and Dorothy Mae Stricker. Lynn went on to serve in the United States Army for 26 years primarily in Air Defense. After his military career, Lynn obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and...
Jonnilee Singleton Furnish
Aug 24, 2026
Jonnilee Singleton Furnish passed away on Monday, August 24, 2026, at the age of 101.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Resthaven...
Judith "Judy" Batchelder Kalassay
Aug 24, 2026
Judith “Judy” Batchelder Kalassay, (Mom, Grandma, Gammy, Grandma Judy, and Gigi) passed away peacefully on August 24, 2026 in Baton Rouge LA. She was at home with family and her much loved Big Band music playing as she took her final breath. Judy was born February 11, 1939 to Marjorie and Endicott Batchelder. She was a native of Pittsburgh, PA...
Paul Michael Bessman
Aug 22, 2026
Paul Michael Bessman, born on January 22, 1957, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the age of 69.
Paul was born in Hudson, New York. After serving in the United States Army, Paul went on to become a construction salesman. He was a member of Fellowship Church in Prairieville, Louisiana. Paul always loved and enjoyed being a handyman, cars,...
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 August 19, 2026, just shy of his birthday on August 24, 2026. He was born in Baton Rouge on August 24, 1948. He was the last of twelve kids born to Clem Pearson Sr and Vivian Pearson. The Pearson Family was such a big family that at the time of his birth he...
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....
John "Chip" Collins
Aug 18, 2026
John "Chip" Collins, born March 18, 1960, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, went home to be with our Lord on August 18, 2026.
He grew up in Baton Rouge and was a member of Winbourne Avenue Baptist Church, where his faith in God deepened and flourished. When he was 12 years old, he began studying Tae Kwon Do under Master Ki Yoon....
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...
Jimmie Lawson Peterson
Aug 17, 2026
Jimmie Lawson Peterson left this world on Monday, August 17, 2026, to be welcomed to Heaven by her Lord and Savior and reunite with her husband, Floyd Richard “Dickie” Peterson and daughter, Kathryn Ann “Kathy” Peterson. Born to James Albert and Doris Raiford Lawson on June 15, 1930, Jimmie went on to leave the footprints of a hero in the...
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...
