Beulah L. Dugas

Loreauville—A Mass of Christian burial will be conducted for Beulah L. Dugas on Monday, March 11, 2019, at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 10:00 AM with Fr. Bill Melancon officiating the funeral mass. Entombment will be at St. Joseph Catholic Mausoleum.

Visitation will be held beginning on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 2:00 PM at David Funeral Home of Loreauville until closing at 9:00 PM. Rosary will be recited at 7:00 PM.

Visitation will resume on Monday, March 11, 2019, at 8:00 AM until the service time at 10:00 AM.

Beulah Laviolette Dugas, age 95, was born on June 21, 1923 to Alexis and Anne Albert Laviolette of St. Martinville. She was a native of St. Martinville and a lifelong resident of Loreauville.

Beulah Laviolette Dugas grew up on Banker Road, near St. Martinville, La.  As the wartime demand for labor increased, she and thousands of Louisiana women joined the workforce, taking a wide variety of jobs in crucial defense industries.  Beulah started out sewing uniforms for soldiers in neighboring St. Martinville, but when a recruiter from the Delta Shipbuilding Company came through town looking for potential welders, she decided to give it a try.  After spending six weeks training at a welding school in Lafayette, she moved to New Orleans to begin working for Delta.  At first, Beulah’s supervisors assigned her very basic welding tasks, but soon she was trusted with more complex projects and her $0.75 hourly pay jumped to $2.25----outstanding earnings for that time.  She later admitted that living in a big city like New Orleans was a little intimidating, but she had the support of her sister, Annette, and two dozen other young women from back home who were all living in The Big Easy and working in defense industries.  These women quickly grew into a force of greater than six million workers, later identified broadly under the moniker “Rosie the Riveter.”  Though Beulah sent most of her paychecks back to Banker Road, St. Martinville, to help support her family of 13, she did save one war bond for herself, which later paid for a baby bed for her first child.

In October of 2018, Beulah was honored at the WWII museum with a special ceremony and presented with a portrait of herself at the time of her service.  Many family members attended the ceremony.  As of today, Beulah’s role in WWII is displayed in a kiosk which is part of a traveling exhibit touring Louisiana and will return to the museum in 2020 to remain as a permanent exhibit.

When Beulah return to family life, she raised her family of four children along with her husband Aymar “Poon”.

She enjoyed spending time with all of her family members, cooking, and especially spoiling the grand and great-grandchildren. She was a devout Catholic and a member of the Catholic Daughters of America. Her hobbies also included playing cards with her cherished friends, watching game shows and hosting a Christmas Eve party for forty plus years. She will be deeply missed by all who loved and knew her.

Serving as Pallbearers are Kalun Dugas, Cy Dugas, Lynn Dugas, Jr., Ryan Dugas, Colby Bourque, Jake Bourque, Jonathan Bourque, and Joseph Bourque. Honorary Pallbearers are Jordan Laviolette, Alec Laviolette, Morgan Laviolette, Johnathan Lavergne, Emily Lavergne, Cathryn Henry, Cade Henry, Josh Henry, Jeanne Kerne, Sarah Kerne, Elisabeth Boyer, Saul Bourque, John-Ryan Bourque, Thomas Bourque, Elise Bourque, Evan Bourque, Ella Bourque, Kai Bourque, Dylan Dugas, Jonah Dugas, Seth Dugas, Ethan Dugas, Mia Dugas, Sarah Dugas, Luke Dugas, Adam Dugas, Julien Fontenot, Elisa Crociani, Elena Crociani, and Isabella Dugas.

She is survived by 15 grandchildren; Andrea Laviolette (Kirk), Carey Lavergne, Lea Henry (Mike), Felicia Kerne (Kent), Colby Bourque (Jill), Jake Bourque (Ashlie), Jonathan Bourque (Claire), Joseph (Jenn) Bourque, Lynn Jr. (Lynette) Dugas, Ryan Dugas, Dusti Dugas, Cy (Leah) Dugas, Julie (Federico) Crociani, Gabrie Dugas and Kalun Dugas.  30 great grandchildren, a multitude of nieces and nephews, and her four children; Lynn Dugas, Sr and his wife Linda (Bernard) of Loreauville, Maxine Bourque and her husband Johnny of Loreauville, Malcom Dugas and his wife Liz (Champagne) of St. Martinville, Keith Dugas and his wife Pattie Harper of Loreauville and one sister, Jessie Patin (Thomas) of Milton.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Aymar J. “Poon” Dugas, her parents Alexis and Anne Laviolette and brothers, Junius, Chester, Francis, Malcolm, A.J. and sisters, Mabel L. Gondron, Annette L. Dugas, Inez L. Vincent, and Yola L. Carter.

You may sign the guest register book and/or send condolences at www.davidfuneralhome.org .

David Funeral Home of Loreauville 118 Main St. (337) 229-3883 is in charge of handling the funeral arrangements.