Funeral services will be held on Thursday February 26, 2015 at a 1:30pm Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Broussard for Francis Newton LeBlanc, interment will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Mr. LeBlanc passed away peacefully at his home in Broussard on Saturday, February 21, 2015. He was 89 years old. The family requests that visitation be observed on Thursday, February 26th from 9am till time of service. Francis Newton LeBlanc, better known as New't was born in rural Vermillion Parish on September 1, 1925. His parents were J. Roy LeBlanc and Zulma Trahan LeBlanc. New't is survived by his wife of 67 years Clara L. LeBlanc; his four children Cindy LeBlanc Beaugh, Claudette LeBlanc Moore, Joan LeBlanc Mouton, and Eric John LeBlanc; his five grandchildren Claire Beaugh Cunningham, Adam Moore, Andrea Mouton, Hanna Mouton, and Sarah LeBlanc; and his two great-grandchildren Lydia and George Cunningham IV. He was proceeded in death by his parents, his siblings J. Roy LeBlanc and Gertrude Romero and a grandson Toby John Beaugh. After graduating from Erath High School in 1942, New't went to New Orleans to help with the war effort. He was employed by Delta Shipbuilding Co. and worked as a rigger on the docks moving cargo onto ships. In November of 1944 he joined the Army and was assigned to the 751st Field Artillery Battalion in Germany. Upon his discharge from the Army in August of 1946 Newton returned home and married Clara LeBlanc in 1947. Together they moved to Baton Rouge where he continued his education at LSU graduating in 1950 with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. Moving back to Broussard he found employment with Eastman working as a draftsman and surveyor. In 1956 he was made district engineer in Eastman's Lafayette office where he remained until his retirement. During his years there he contributed to the advancement of Eastman and was considered one of the highest authorities in the Gulf Coast area on the subject of directional drilling. He was instrumental in the field testing and redesign of the turbo-drill and the R-1 reader used extensively in the Gulf Coast area. New't was a man with a wide range of interests, loves, likes, passions, and hobbies. He was fiercely independent and a do-it-yourself man and would not attempt a project unless he could complete it to perfection, which he always did. Some of these projects and hobbies included: gardening, photography, reading, a love of history and family genealogy, extensive traveling, geology, nature, ranching on a small scale, raising Black Angus cattle, and was known for his daily walks throughout the town of Broussard. New't was a man whose expertise spanned a significant number of different subject areas, all of which he documented with meticulous care and attention to detail. Pallbearers will be Eric John LeBlanc, Adam Moore, Trey Cunningham, Lawrence LeBlanc, Harold Guidry, and Todd Treece. Honorary pallbearers are Toby John Beaugh, and Rev. Charles Girard. Musical selections will be sung by his granddaughter Andrea Mouton. The family would like to thank his caregivers Eula Guillot and Julie Gotche. Memorial contributions can be made in Mr. LeBlanc's name to either Alzheimer's Association or Heart of Hospice. Condolences may be shared with the family at Davidfuneralhome.org David's Funeral Home 316 Youngsville Hwy. 337-837-9887 is in charge of the arrangements.
