The Life of Alma Branner Stuller
Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 2, 2005 at a 2:00 PM Mass of Christian Burial in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for Mrs. Alma Stuller, age 82, the former Alma Branner Bowen, who died Sunday, May 29, 2005 at 10:20 PM in Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. Entombment will be in the Holy Mary, Mother of God Cemetery Mausoleum. The Rev. Msgr. Glen John Provost, Pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church will be the Celebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct the services con-celebrated by Rev. Msgr. Robert G. Angelle and Rev. Louis J. Richard, Pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Broussard. Lectors will be Matthew G. Stuller and Jay Owen. Giftbearers will be Amanda Nehrbass, Lauren Stuller and Alexandra Graham. Eulogists will be Virginia Adeline Stuller, Jennifer Stuller Nehrbass and Dr. Elizabeth Adrienne Stuller. Prelude vocalists for the Funeral Mass will be The James Sisters, who will sing the musical selections, In The Garden, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Amazing Grace. Chorale Acadienne under the direction of James Haygood will perform a Requiem of Psalms by Paul Baker, namely Intriot and Prayer, Create In Me A Clean Heart and The Lord Is My Shepherd. A Recessional of On Eagles Wings will be sung by Mrs. Lauren Haygood, accompanied on the organ by Tom Niel and violinist will be Mrs. Lauren Baker. Graveside vocalists will be The James Sisters. Survivors include three daughters, Virginia Adeline Stuller, Jennifer Stuller Nehrbass and her husband, Doug and Dr. Elizabeth Adrienne Stuller, one son, Matthew Gordy Stuller and his wife, CeCe, all of Lafayette; and seven grandchildren, Dr. Christopher Stephens, Casey Tatham, Derek Nehrbass, Amanda Nehrbass, Alexandra Graham, Matthew Stuller, Jr. and Lauren Stuller. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Gilbert Fitch Stuller; two sons, Walter Bowen Stuller and Gilbert Fitch Stuller III; her parents Mr and Mrs. Joseph Lawson Bowen of Aberdeen, Mississippi, and one sister, Valma Bowen Steele. Mrs. Stuller was born on May 3, 1923 in the heart of the Old South, in the Mississippi Delta, when cotton was king, plantations graced the rich farm land and every young lady was a southern belle. She was a great beauty and a perfect reflection of the genteel tranditions of the era. Gifted in academics and athletics, she was invariably appointed captain of the team and valedictorian of the class during her school years. Her beauty and elegance, her good nature and keen intellect made her irresistible to the young doctor, Gilbert Stuller, who before leaving for active duty, proposed to the beautiful head nurse of the New Orleans hospital where they were both employed. She served in the United States Army Nursing Corps during World War II and married Dr. Stuller after the war. They made their home in Lafayette. Mrs. Stuller graduated from Birmingham, Alabama School of Nursing as an R.N. and received a B.A. and Masters Degree from USL. She was the Valedictorian of her class and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. She was a member and served as president of the L''Avenir Service Organization, the Lafayette Medical Auxiliary, the Acadiana Dental Auxiliary, and the Lafayette Garden Club. Mrs. Stuller was also a member of Delta Zeta Sorority, the Krewe of Attakapas Carnival Organization and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Community where she served as a lay minister and a member of the Ladies Altar Society. For more than fifty years Mrs. Stuller was a role model for her family and for others, providing a warm and nurturing home environment and numerous educational opportunities for her six children while managing to be of service in many positions of leadership to her church and to her community. To her, education was of paramount importance and she inspired and supported her children in their various careers as doctor, lawyer, teacher and business entrepreneur. The family would like to thank her devoted friends of a lifetime, Wilma Piccione, Mimi Fisher, Katherine Breaux, Betty Palmintier and Betty Gordy and her loving caregivers, Eula Guillot, Miro Wesley, Mary Robertson and Gustavia Mouton. A Rosary will be prayed Wednesday at 7:30 PM in the Martin & Castille Funeral Home by Rev. Louis J. Richard. The family requests that visiting hours be observed Wednesday from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM and on Thursday from 10:00 AM until time of the services. Pallbearers are Dr. Christopher Stephens, Casey Tatham, Derek Nehrbass, Danny Palmintier, Michael Thibeaux, Emmett Steele and Matthew Stuller, Jr. Honorary pallbearers are Doug Nehrbass, Earl Flatt, Dr. Brian Pearson, Johnny DeGraauw, William Mills and Dr. Keller Griffith. Memorial contributions in Mrs. Stuller''s name may be made to Stuller Place, 911 General Mouton, Lafayette, LA 70501. Arrangements have been entrusted to Martin & Castille Funeral Home, Inc. of Lafayette.337-234-2311.
