Laura “Toodles” Melancon Buckley passed away November 7, 2008 at home surrounded by her family and caregivers at the age of 92. She was born February 10, 1916 in Guatemala, grew up along with her four sisters in St. Gabriel, Louisiana and moved to Beaumont in 1951.
Toodles was one of the first lay teachers at St. Anne Elementary School, where she taught for twenty-three years. Many of her ex-students still fondly remember her. A graduate of LSU, she never lost her love for those LSU Tigers. Her other greatest loves were family, friends, church, travel, duplicate bridge, crossword puzzles and The Wheel of Fortune. She was a very strong, loving, independent woman.
Her first husband, Alfred “Newah” Melancon died in 1979. She married William T. “Bill” Buckley in 1983, who passed away in 1998. She shared a tremendous love of travel with both husbands.
Survivors include her sister, Evelyn Shelton of Memphis, Tennessee; her three daughters and their husbands, Judith Cobbett and Dean Tucker of Beaumont, Laura and Bob Sheets of Montgomery, Texas and Kathleen and Mike Johnson of Houston; grandchildren, Cheryl Burleson and her husband Randy, Troy Ford, Travis Johnson and his wife Nancy, Derek Johnson and his wife Stacy; great grandchildren, Cara and Cayla Burleson and Layne and Kaley Johnson.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 1:00 P.M. Monday, November 10, 2008 at St. Anne Catholic Church followed by burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park under the direction of Broussard’s Mortuary, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Serving as pallbearers will be Randy Burleson, Troy Ford, Travis Johnson, Derek Johnson, Stan LeBlanc and Harry Harwood. A Rosary will be recited 7:30 P.M. Sunday, November 9, 2008 at the mortuary.
A very special thanks goes to her loving and dedicated caregiver Valarie Ceasar and her assistants. They made the last year and a half of Toodles life the best that it could be.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Anne Catholic Church, 2715 Calder, Beaumont, Texas 77702.
