[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish holds Commemorative Ceremony at Katrina Monument in Shell Beach

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish holds Commemorative Ceremony at Katrina Monument in Shell
Beach

 

St. Bernard Parish residents and officials gathered Sunday at the Katrina
Monument in Shell Beach on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in the early
morning rains for a commemorative ceremony to honor those who lost their
lives to Hurricane Katrina.

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. thanked those agencies
who helped with the response to Hurricane Katrina, including those among the
6,000 residents who hadn't heeded warnings to evacuate but who, in turn, put
themselves in harm's way by volunteering to assist with rescue efforts. 

 

"We have made a commitment to continue to do this annually until the
rebuilding is complete out of respect for those who made the ultimate
sacrifice," St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. said at the
ceremony next to the monument. "The MRGO is closed, but we are far from
done.  We will continue that fight. We have the fight and the will to
rectify the damage that the MRGO has caused so that those who lost their
lives did not die in vain."

 

The granite monument built for the first anniversary in 2006 sits at the end
of the land where the community of Shell Beach meets the Mississippi River
Gulf Outlet. A metal crucifix stands in the waters of the MRGO nearby. It
has the names of 163 St. Bernard residents who died as a result of Katrina. 

 

The Rev. Dennis Hayes of St. Rita Catholic Church, who was at St. Louise de
Marillac in Arabi for Katrina where he stayed to weather the storm, offered
an opening prayer, and Council members Wayne J. Landry, Ray Lauga, George
Cavignac, Mike Ginart, and state Rep. Reed Henderson  

read aloud names of the deceased listed on the monument.

 

After a moment of silence in remembrance, President Taffaro helped Hopedale
resident Diane Phillips, who lost cousins Norman and Carol Parr as well as
several friends to Katrina's flood waters, placed a memorial wreath in the
waters of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. During the laying of the
wreath, St. Bernard Parish Council Assistant Melissa May sang "I Will Rise,"
by Chris Tomlin, an uplifting spiritual song. 

 

Mike Karl, interim director for FEMA's Louisiana Recovery Office, addressed
the crowd gathered and promised FEMA's ongoing support in St. Bernard's
recovery efforts.

 

Councilman Mike Ginart also offered words of support. "If I could say one
word about St. Bernard, it would be unity," Ginart said. "We can face these
storms together."

 

Pastor Ben Alderman of Harvest Time Ministries closed the ceremony with
words of encouragement.

In 2008, President Taffaro invited residents to help correct and  update the
monument, and Coroner Bryan Bertucci gave an updated list as well. On the
initial monument, several names were misspelled and some names were left off
in the period immediately after the storm when the monument was erected for
the first anniversary in 2006. A corporation donation from local contractor
Unified Recovery Group was used to correct the monument the company
originally sponsored. About 20 names were added and several names of the
initially listed victims were corrected. A few names were removed because
the people originally were listed as missing, but they indeed survived. 

Below is a list of the names of the victims as they appear on the memorial
at Shell Beach. 

 



Bertha Acosta

Hollis Alford

Angela Alviar

Evelyn Ancar

Douglas Arceneaux

Betty Arceneaux

Joseph Banks

Lillian Banta 

Walter Barcellona

Carmen Bennett

Lucille Besnard

Sarah Bosarge

Eugenie Boyle

Eunice Breaux

Joseph Brossette

Thomas Burke

Evelyn Burns

Benny Butler Jr.

Leroy Butler 

Robert J. Caire

Frank Chambers

Charles Chauppetta

Harold Cordes

Walter Cosse

Adele Cousins

Ned Couvillion

Frances Cox

Irene Daigle

Mary Darsam

Rosemary Davis

Robert Delafosse

Zerelda Delatte

Alan Delaune

Jane Denley

Agnes Depascual 

Rita Drury

Guiomar Duarte

Edward "Pete" Dugas

Harrison A. Duhon

Loveless Dupuy

Patsy Eaton

Mary Ellis

Russell Embry

Joan Emerson

Helen Fahrenholtz

Ervin Farzande

John Farzande

Maxine Frischhertz

Joyce Fonseca

Brenda Fontaintte

Charles Gagliano

Shirley Gagliano 

Arthur Galatas

Tufanio Gallodoro

Mario Gardener 

Catherene Godwin

Thelma Godwin

Mary Gourges

Rita Green

William Gregg

George Grunik 

Ura Gurtner

Shirley Hartdegen

Wilbur A. Hebert, Jr.

Rosemary Herndon

Dorothy Hingle

George Huard

Alice Hutzler

Myrtle Jackson

Virginia James

Georgia Jenkins

Joseph Jenkins

Mabel Johnson

Josephine Johnson 

Vicki Jordan

Mertha Kaminsky

John Kessner

Iris Knight

Mildred Kramer

Edith Krennerich

Harold Kurz

Laura Lae

Helen Larre

Mary Labat

Gladys Leblanc

Mary Lind

Dominique Liuzza

Oralie Lobre

Todd J. Lopez

Shirley Lott

Harry Louros

Peggy Mahaney 

Joseph Major

William Manson

Shirley Mares

August Martinolich

Joyce McGuire

Lucille Melerine

Shirley Meyer

Earl Meyer

Helen Meyer

Arthur Miller

Helen Montalbano

Lauretta Morales

Curtis Morrow

Stephen Mosgrove

Matthew Muhoberac, Jr.

Joel C. Mumphrey

Frances Navis 

Denise Newman

William Noote

Janet Parker

Carol Parr

Norman Parr

Gregory Patrolia

Richard Patrolia

Helen Perret

Rosemary Pino

Emile Poissenot

Glenn Rambo

Gladys Randall

Janet Rashkin

Richard Reysack

Rufus Rivers 

Rebecca Roark

Lynda Robin

Eva Rodrigue

Elizabeth Ross

Bernice Robino

John Russell

Georgia Ryan

Van Ryan

Darlene Saia

Antonia Sanfilippo

Rosemary Savoie

Anna Schielder

Dolores Schiro

Cynthia Schiro

Jake Schiro Jr.

Henry Seifker

David Selbe

Mary Simpson

Louise Sires

Matthew Smallwood

Freddie Smith

Carole Spano

Robert Spinks

Henry Stafford Sr.

Marion Stearns

John Sullivan

Alvin Swan 

Dorothy Taguino

Charlie Taylor 

Michael Thomason

Donna Thomopolous

George Torrence

Mary Ann Trentecosta

Anna Marie Urquhart

Almeda Verret

Inez Vidrios

Mary Wagner

Thelma Wall

Lawrence Williams

Gloria Young




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