The Life of Dorothy Guilbeau
The life of Dorothy DeWitt Guilbeau will be celebrated with a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille in Lafayette. Dottie, 63, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family who loved and adored her, her artwork, and her beloved dog, Lila.Graveside services will be held immediately after the memorial service on Tuesday, at Holy Mary Mother of God Cemetery in Lafayette.Dottie was born in Cuba City, Wisconsin, on January 7, 1943. She spent most of her life from the age of three in Louisiana and graduated from Lafayette High School in 1960. She graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1964. She was primarily a self-taught photographer and attended the University of Louisiana Art School, achieving academic excellence. The photography of Dottie Guilbeau expresses the woman as a concrete individual as well as the "feminine spirit" as an elemental force of life. Over the last decade she performed numerous photographic studies of traditional expressions of the "feminine spirit" in the historic artifacts and architecture of Southern France, rural Wisconsin, French Catholic Louisiana, Hispanic Catholic New Mexico, Ghana, Cuba, Italy, and Morocco.While her work as a photographer was a passion, it paled in comparison to her love of family. Dottie is survived by her beloved husband of forty-one years, Thomas E. Guilbeau; her three children, Rachel Marcelle Guilbeau of Nashville, TN, married to David Judson Baird, Eric Andre'' Guilbeau of The Woodlands, TX, married to Candi Thibodeaux Guilbeau, and Katherine Guilbeau Gondron of Lafayette, married to Jason Paul Gondron, Jr. Dottie has two grandchildren, Monet Marie Guilbeau, and Jacob Thomas Gondron. She used to tell her grandchildren, "You made this day a special day, just because you were here and you are you. I like you just the way you are." She is also survived by her mother, Helen Trewartha DeWitt of Houston, TX, a brother, Charles E. "Chips" DeWitt of Boston, MA, and two sisters, Ann Sparks of Kerrville, TX, and Jane Long of Torrence, CA.She loved and was fiercly devoted to her friends and had a special bond with The Red Shoes of Baton Rouge. Her life was a blessing to everyone she met. Dottie had a gentleness and grace that brought out the best in others. She enjoyed the simple things in life and gave herself freely and unselfishly."Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Hebrews 13:2The family requests that visitation be observed on Monday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until time of services. Martin & Castille Funeral Home, Inc. of Lafayette has been chosen to help with the arrangements. 337-234-2311
