Joseph Roy “J-Roy” Fontenot was born near Churchpoint, Louisiana, on December 2, 1928, to Marie and Lindy Fontenot, the third of eight children. He went to work at a very young age, as did many people who grew up during the Great Depression.
He joined the United States Army and fought in the Korean War from July 7, 1947, to July 6, 1950. When he returned, J-Roy worked in the shipyard in Beaumont.
In 1950, he married Jane Bowers and from that union was born five children; Larry, Ronnie, Joe, JoAnn, and Sue.
Shortly after his marriage, J-Roy began farming rice with his life-long friend and business partner, Richard “Dickie” Bogan. Together they farmed rice and soybeans from over forty years. A thank you goes out to Cecil Slack for hiring J-Roy to work for him and continue to do the work he loved right up until the summer of this year!
In his spare time he loved to hunt and fish and particularly enjoys spending time at Toledo Bend with his friend, Wayne King.
His children and grandchildren were his pride and joy. He enjoyed joking with people and “picking on” so many of them! If J-Roy “picked on” you, you knew you had a friend for life!
J-Roy passed away peacefully at home on November 15, 2015, at his home in China surrounded by numbers of his family.
Survivors include his sons, Larry Fontenot and his wife, Carolyn; Ronnie Fontenot and his wife, Madelyn; and Joe Fontenot and his wife, Helen; daughters, JoAnn LeJune and her husband, James and Sue Wolf and her husband, Tom; grandchildren, Rachel Fontenot, R.J. Fontenot, Karen Halsell, Jason Fontenot, Angela Carlson, D.J. Carlson, Jonathon Barron, Lucas LeJune, Kathy Wolf, and Ian Wolf; great-grandchildren, Moira Fontenot, Braeden Halsell, Emma Halsell, Javon Fontenot, Layla Fontenot, Alec Myers, Grayson Crossland, Lila Crossland, Xander Barron, Avalon Barron, Mia LeJune; brothers, Allen “Popeye” Fontenot of China and Dannis Fontenot and his wife, Billie, of Angleton; and sisters, Grace Scalisi and her husband, Sam, of China and Gloria Jacobs and her husband, Neal, of Sour Lake.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Jane Fontenot; two brothers, Rogers Fontenot and Russell Fontenot; one sister, Mary Larson; great-grandson, Jeffrey Fontenot; and great-granddaughter, Peyton Fontenot.
A Rosary for Mr. Fontenot will be recited at 5:00 p.m., with a gathering to follow until 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 2015, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 245 West Highway 90, China. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 18, 2015, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, with interment to follow at China Cemetery, China, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.
