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November 7, 1954 ~ February 12, 2023

ABBEVILLE — Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 17, 2023 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Ralph Libersat, 68, who passed away on Sunday, February 12, 2023.
Fr. Louis Richard will officiate the service.
Born November 7, 1954, to the late Bernard Libersat, Jr. and Nelda Libersat, Ralph grew up in Abbeville, LA.
Ralph began his career with the State of Louisiana in Coastal Restoration and remained active within the Coastal Restoration community. Well respected for his extensive knowledge and expertise, he was currently serving as a board member on the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District board of directors.
He was devoted to his family, and loved to spend time with them traveling, camping, and exploring new places. He enjoyed golfing and was an avid duck hunter and fisherman. He had a charming personality and was beloved by many friends.
Known for his passionate commitment to his faith, he will be greatly missed by the members of the Family Life Community of Abbeville.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Kim Goelzenleuchter Libersat; son, Cy Libersat (Jill); and daughter, Anna Libersat; sisters, Martha Stanley and Ruth Cronan; and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, Bernard Libersat, Jr. and Nelda Abshire Libersat; and brother, Albert Libersat.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 300 Pere Megret St., Abbeville, on Friday, February 17, 2023 from 9:00 AM until time of services. A rosary being prayed at 10:30 AM.
The family welcomes donations in Ralph’s name to Christian Service Center of Abbeville, as an expression of sympathy in lieu of flowers. Donations in the form of a check or cash can be sent to P.O. Box 1507, Abbeville, LA 70511, or contact the Center at 337-893-9756.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

The NV Dreams returned Monday from national competition held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL this past weekend ranking Top 10 in Hip Hop and Top 5 in Game Day. This is the 3rd consecutive year that the Dreams return home as finalist in the largest national competition in the nation.
UDA’s National Dance Team Championship is the biggest event in the dance and spirit industry. This year the Dreams competed in the medium varsity division and ranked 9th (out of 34 teams) in hip hop and 5th (out of 45 teams) in Game Day. It was a challenging 3 days of competition, beginning with the preliminary round on Friday. The team advanced to semi-finals in both routines and had to perform again on Saturday. That night, they found out they had made it to finals and were to compete once again on Sunday. It was a busy and competitive 3 days of round after round of performances, totaling 6 performances at the end of it all, in which the team had to execute to be named finalists.
During final awards, the Dreams were seated among the nation’s best of the best and anxiously awaited their placement. For the first time, NV Dreams reached Top 5 status after the last 2 years of staying Top 10.It was a true victory for the Dreams as they made personal history. They represented their town of Maurice and their school of North Vermilion with great pride.
Over 25 family members traveled with the team to cheer them on every step of the way. The Dreams received numerous messages from their community and fellow students letting them know that they were watching and supporting back home. This pushed the team to stay focused and rise up each round.
Superintendent Byler made contact to send his best and get updates to post. The team would like to thank the NV administration for allowing the experience and everyone who offered continued love and encouragement. The team is coached by Vangie Davidson and Shamayne Istre. Dancers include (seniors) Ella Lalande, Olivia Mouton, Sara Corinne Istre; (juniors) Anne Istre, Ashley Guidry, Meg Touchet; (sophomores) Camille Davidson, Coti Alpha, Gracyn Meaux; (freshmen) Jaycie Hardy, Julie Romero, Kylie Istre, Marlee Nugier. Manager, Audrey Le.

Rickey Broussard had a tremendous amount of success outside of his native Vermilion Parish.
As head coach, Broussard led Nicholls State University to a pair of NCAA basketball tournament appearances. He made other high school and college stops, including a tenure as an assistant coach at LSU.
However, Broussard has always remembered where it all started for him.
Broussard, now residing in Lafayette, made a happy return trip to the parish on Tuesday, speaking to members of the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville.
“It’s always great to come back home,” Broussard said.
For Broussard, “home” wasn’t a very big place.
“I grew up in Leroy,” Broussard said proudly. “As you know, a very small town with a caution light, a church and Breaux’s Grocery Store.
“That was it.”
While a small dot on a map, the way of living in Leroy made a huge mark on Broussard.
“Leroy was good to me,” he said. “I grew up and worked hard. We got up at 4 a.m. to milk the cows. You have to bail hay and feed the cows every day. Even on Sundays.”
The son of Ervy and Flordra, Broussard told Kiwanis members that his story is not unique.
“We all grew up with parents who demanded putting in the work,” Broussard said. “You didn’t get paid. It was just part of growing up. Getting up at 4 a.m., then you had to go to school and study. Then you play ball.
“It wasn’t easy, but you did it.”
Broussard said there were some days easier than others.
“My mom would take my place on Tuesdays and Fridays,” Broussard said, “so I could sleep in. That’s when we played basketball games. I always looked forward to those days, of course.”
Broussard said he enjoyed being around the animals.
“We rode horses all day,” he said. “We had pigs and chickens.
“I told someone the other day I didn’t pay for meat until I was 33 years old.”
Most of all, Broussard remembers the work ethic he developed.
“I learned how to work,” Broussard said.
He took that into his coaching career.
“I feel like my work ethic separated me from other coaches,” Broussard said. “I didn’t feel like anybody we played against would outwork me. If he’s smarter than me, that’s that. But I didn’t feel like anybody was going to outwork my teams or me.”
From 1990 to 2002, that helped Broussard produce 150 wins for Nicholls State, including trips to the NCAA tourney in ‘95 and ‘98. He earned Southland Conference Coach of the Year on three occasions. In ‘18, the university honored Broussard by naming its basketball court after him.
“I loved it there,” Broussard said of his time in Thibodaux.
After leaving Nicholls, Broussard spent three years as an assistant coach on John Brady’s staff at LSU.
“I felt good about my time there,” Broussard said, “but I decided it was time to move on.”
That brought him to State Farm Insurance, where he worked as a recruiter. However, the work ethic that he brought to coaching did not change.
“I came out number one in the country,” Broussard said, “in eight out of 15 years.”
Broussard retired in ‘21. His wife, Paula, passed away last March, bringing him to Lafayette to be near his daughters. Family remains as important as ever, he said.
Broussard is not the only successful coach from his family. Danny Broussard has won multiple state titles as the head basketball coach at St. Thomas More in Lafayette. Brent Broussard led North Vermilion to a state baseball title in 1994.
“I think everyone knows Danny and Brent,” Broussard said.
Rickey is volunteering as a coach at STM alongside his brother, Danny.
“I’m retired and volunteering,” Broussard said. “The first thing Danny asks me to do is go to Lake Charles and scout.”
Broussard said with a laugh, “I told him I couldn’t do that. I’m retired. I can show up when I want.”
When asked to speak to the Kiwanis Club in Abbeville, in the parish where it started him, Broussard didn’t hesitate.
“I told them I could do that,” he said with a smile. “That’s my people down here.”

December 21, 1924 ~ February 9, 2023

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 13, 2023 at St. Therese Catholic Church honoring the life of Earline Marie Dyson Broussard, 98, who died Thursday, February 9, 2023 at Eastridge Nursing Center. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Fr. François Sainte-Marie officiating the services.
Earline had a passion for growing daylilies, vegetables and gardening. She enjoyed many years shrimping and trawling alongside her family and friends. Earline’s research traced her family history back to the early 19th Century. 
She is survived by her husband of 82 years, Lauris Broussard; son, Wesley Broussard; three granddaughters, Romy N. Broussard, Angela Broussard, and Michelle Broussard; five grandsons, Bret Nunez, Matt Nunez, Clint Nunez, Seth Nunez, and Heath Broussard; eighteen great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Ruby Mae Nunez; parents, O'Neal Dyson and the former Alice Suire; sisters, Beulah Dyson and Gladys Dyson; and brothers, Floyd Dyson and Curley Dyson.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Sunday, February 12, 2023 from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 6:30 PM; Monday, February 13, 2023 from 8:00 AM until 10:45 AM when the procession will depart for the church.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.