Willie Jane Griffin Fontenot, formerly of Port Neches, passed away January 1, 2009 in San Antonio following an extended illness. Mrs. Fontenot was born on January 9, 1929 to Frank and Ida Griffin and spent her youth and a considerable portion of her adult life in Nederland. She was a graduate of Nederland High School. She was the loving wife of Donald E. Fontenot of Port Neches, who preceded her in death, for 28 years.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at First Christian Church of Port Arthur with Reverend Scott Wallace officiating under the direction of Broussard’s in Nederland. Interment will follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches. A gathering of family and friends will be from 5 to 8:00 PM Monday at the mortuary.
She is survived by a brother, Wilbur (Nook) Griffin of Silsbee, and predeceased by brothers Frank, Clark, Goodwin, and Fred Griffin, as well as her sister, Mary Ida Griffin Ligon. She is also survived by 5 children: Steve Snyder and his wife, Cyndi, of The Woodlands; Ronnie Fontenot and his wife, Janet, of O’Fallon, Illinois; Janelle Davila and her husband, Phil, of Grand Prairie; Donna Kondo and her husband, Bill, of Fannett, and Jim Snyder and his wife, Lynn, of Fair Oaks Ranch. She was the proud grandmother of 13 grandchildren, along with 3 great grandchildren.
Willie Jane was a member of the First Christian Church of Port Arthur. She always had a large circle of friends and enjoyed playing bridge. She also was fond of working as an election official in Port Neches. Prior to retiring, she worked for many years as a nurse, most notably for Dr. O. J. Richardson of Nederland, as well as Park Place and Mid-Jefferson County hospitals. Following retirement, she and Don spent a great deal of time traveling the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by auto, tour bus and cruise ship. They were members of the Pompano Club of Port Neches and also fervent supporters of Lamar Basketball.
The family would like to thank Mrs. Irene Broussard for her wonderful service as a caregiver, advocate, and companion during her illness.
