Ethel Marie Comeaux Martin

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 16th at Sacred Heart Church in Broussard for Ethel Marie Comeaux Martin, 92, of Broussard who died Sunday, February 12th, 2017 at Heart Hospital of Lafayette.

Father Michael Richard will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial. Musical selections for the service will be provided by members of the Sacred Heart choir, Melanie LeCompte, Karen Melancon, Tommy Benoit, and family members.

A native and lifelong resident of Broussard, Ethel was a 1941 graduate of St. Cecilia High School and received a degree in Elementary Education from SLI in 1944. She was a Lafayette Parish educator for 42 years - teaching at Milton High School, Lafayette Elementary, and Broussard Elementary. Ethel was a past member of the Lafayette Parish Teachers Association and the Louisiana Retired Teachers Association. After retirement she continued her teaching by serving as a religious educator for the Sacred Heart CCD program. In 2006, she was selected as the Outstanding CCD Teacher by Sacred Heart Church Parish and continued to teach until she was 86 years old. A strong advocate of catholic education, she supported St. Cecilia in Broussard, St. Bernard in Breaux Bridge, St. Thomas More in Lafayette, and Sts. Peter and Paul in Scott. St. Cecilia School honored Ethel and her husband as the 1999-2000 Outstanding Supporters.

A devoted Catholic, Ethel served her Lord in various ministries. She was active in the Sacred Heart Ladies’ Altar Society, the Ladies Choir, and the Mixed Choir. Until the time of her death, she was a Eucharistic Minister to shut-ins and a faithful perpetual adorer. Ethel was a lifelong volunteer for the Broussard Community Fair, serving in the cake and sweets booth.

Always active, Ethel enjoyed giving to others. An accomplished seamstress, she constructed various items for Haitian Missions, St. Jude Hospital, and nursing homes. “GramE” was always available to mend jeans for grandchildren and attached Boy Scout badges. Her skill was evident in items sold at the Broussard Community Fair Ladies’ Craft booth. She enjoyed working in her vegetable garden and sharing her canned produce with family and friends.

Survivors include daughters, Carla (Robert) Richard of Scott, Rachel (Kenneth, Jr.) Fournet of Broussard, and son, Lee (Lisa) Martin, Jr. of Youngsville. Her beloved grandchildren are Rebecca (Jeremy) Hebert, Martin Richard, Catherine (Myles) Hussman, Father Michael Richard, Kenneth Fournet III, David Fournet, Samuel Fournet, Mandi (Everett) Alleman, Aimee Broussard, and Victoria Martin. Of special joy were her great-grandchildren, Jean Paul Hebert and Allie Zoe Hebert. She is survived by her siblings, Ina Broussard of Groves, TX; Paul Frank (Patsy) Comeaux, Jr. of Broussard; and Jane Mouton of Sacramento, CA. She is also survived by sister-in-law Vivian Begnaud of Lafayette and brother-in-law James Martin of Cecilia.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Lee Louis Martin, Sr. and her parents P. Frank Sr. and Rhena Bernard Comeaux.

Pallbearers will be grandsons, Martin Richard; Kenneth, David, and Samuel Fournet; and family members Jeremy Hebert, Myles Hussman, and Everett Alleman.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the various physicians and other healthcare professionals who provided comfort and expertise to our mother, especially Heart Hospital of Lafayette. Personal thanks to Dr. Timothy Fournet for his compassion and attentiveness to her health concerns during these last years.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Cecilia School Foundation (302 W. Main Street, Broussard, LA 70518), the Carmelite Monastery (1250 Carmel Drive, Lafayette, LA 70501), or the Dr. Kenneth Fournet/Ethel C. Martin Nutritional Sciences Scholarship Fund at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (5414 Brittany Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808).

Visitation will be held at David’s Funeral Home (Youngsville Hwy) on Wednesday, February 15th, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with rosary to be said at 7 p.m., and before services on Thursday, February 16th, 8 a.m. until time of service. Interment will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Broussard.