The Life of Frances Richard
LAFAYETTE - Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 27, 2007 at an 11:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for Mrs. Irby A. Richard, née Frances "Frankie" Gondron, 87, who passed away peacefully on January 21, 2007 at Camelot in Broussard.Interment will be in Lafayette Memorial Park Cemetery.Reverend Keith J. DeRouen, Rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, will be the Celebrant of the funeral Mass and will conduct the funeral services. Readers will be Kathy Richard, her daughter-in-law, and Carolyn Langlinais, her niece. Giftbearers will be Dr. Susan Raff, Kaitlyn Richard, and Marcelle Richard.The James'' Sisters, accompanied on the piano by Pat Melancon, will sing for the funeral Mass, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Amazing Grace", "Taste and See" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Jodi Bollich will sing the responsorial, "Psalm 23".Survivors include her two daughters, Judy Kennedy and her husband, Richard R. Kennedy of Lafayette, and Rachel Allen and her husband, Dr. Gary R. Allen of Garland, Texas; one son, Dr. Charles W. Richard and his wife Kathy Barcelona of River Ridge, LA; six grandchildren, Richard R. Kennedy III and his wife, Stacy Kennedy; Dr. Susan A. Raff and her husband, David Raff; Julie Matthews and her husband, Captain Benjamin Matthews (U.S.A.F); Kaitlyn Richard, Charles W. Richard, Jr., and Marcelle Richard; and numerous nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Irby A. Richard, her parents, Gaston Gondron and Florence LaFontaine Gondron, and her brother Lee Roy J. Gondron.A native of Iberia Parish and resident of Lafayette Parish for most of her life, Mrs. Richard was a loving mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend to all who knew her. She attended SLI, now ULL, where she received her degree in Education. She retired as an educator after having taught school in Acadia, Plaquemines, and Lafayette Parishes. Her last seventeen years of teaching were in Lafayette Parish. Mrs. Richard belonged to several organizations of retired teachers and also was a member of several church organizations. She enjoyed spending time with her friends and family and will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved her.Pallbearers will be four of her nephews, James Craig Gondron, David Gondron, Michael F. Thompson, and Dwayne Richard, and her grandsons, Richard R. Kennedy III, and Charles W. Richard, Jr.The family requests that visitation be observed Saturday, January 27, 2007 from 8:00 AM until time of services at Martin & Castille Funeral Home in Lafayette.The family wishes to thank the staff at Camelot of Broussard as well as the dedicated assistants who cared for her - Dorothy Decuire, Angela Blaze, Alice Blaze, and Deborah Legere.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mrs. Richard''s name to the maintenance of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, P.O. Drawer V, Lafayette, Louisiana 70502-8022, or to Hospice of Acadiana, 2600 Johnston Street Suite 200, Lafayette, Louisiana 70503-3240. Martin & Castille Funeral Home, Inc. of Lafayette has been chosen to help with the arrangements. 337-234-2311
