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March 5, 1930 ~ February 12, 2021

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church honoring the life of Hazel Lemaire Decuir, 90, who died Friday, February 12, 2021 at Vermilion Health Care Center. She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Fr. François Sainte-Marie officiating the services.
She is survived by her three daughters, Bonnie Trahan and her husband John, Rose Trahan, and Lona LeBlanc and her husband Albert; ten grandchildren; seventeen great grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; brother, Kenneth “Keno” Lemaire and his wife Sadie; sister, Mary Ann Schexnyder; and a host of nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Obrey Decuir; parents, Noah Lemaire and the former Eve Duplantis; brothers, Hubert Lemaire and Norris Lemaire; son-in-law, Leo Trahan; and brother-in-law, Howard Schexnyder.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Thursday, February 18, 2021 from 9:00 AM until 12:45 PM when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary being prayed at 10:30 AM.
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.

Vermilion Superintendent Tommy Byler announced Thursday afternoon that public schools in Vermilion Parish will be canceled on Thursday and Friday.
Students will return to school on Monday, Feb. 22.

KAPLAN — Kaplan Mayor Mike Kloesel said Wednesday afternoon that the city is seeing issues with its water pressure.
“We are now having a huge problem with water pressure,” Kloesel said in a social media post. “It is due to all of the busted water lines and excess use such as keeping water dripping and running. I must ask that you PLEASE ensure that you don't have a busted pipe by walking around your house, if you see a puddle of water forming you probably have a busted line and you need to cut your water off at the cut off valve. IF you do not know where that is call city hall and we will send someone out to do it for you.”
Kloesel said it the issue cannot be adjusted, a water boil advisory will be the next step.
“You will notice within the last couple of hours after the pipes unfroze,” Kloesel said, “that we are losing water pressure throughout the city at an alarming rate.
“We are now losing more water than we can pump into the tower, if the tower runs dry we will be under a water boil advisory, so we have to get this under control immediately.”
The Mayor asked that citizens make sure all faucets are turned off and that they not use any water unnecessarily until further notice.
“If you turn on your faucet and see the pressure is lower than normal,” Kloesel said, “turn it off immediately and don't let it run.
“We are pumping as fast as we can into the tower but we are losing ground every hour. Please CONSERVE WATER IMMEDIATELY or we will be under a water boil advisory in just a few hours.”

Vermilion Catholic, a legacy of Mount Carmel, is excited to announce it has named Lauryn Lee as assistant principal of its Pre-K through 8th grade. Vermilion Catholic previously announced in January the acquisition and integration of Mount Carmel School of Abbeville forming the only Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade Catholic School in the lower Acadiana region.
Under the leadership of Michael Guilbeaux, principal of Vermilion Catholic, . Lee will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and comprehensive academic program of the elementary and middle school grade levels.
Aligned with Vermilion Catholic’s mission to ensure an academically challenging environment, Lee brings particular expertise in increasing the rigor by incorporating the most advanced technology, and requiring its integration across all curriculums and grade levels. Using a hands-on approach, Lee will guide her faculty in the use of highly effective, research-based teaching practices to promote the greatest opportunity for student success in the classroom.
Lee is a National Board Certified Teacher. She received a Master of Education Leadership from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was recognized as ‘Most Outstanding Master Student’ in her college; and a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, with a concentration in Elementary Education.
Michael Guilbeaux, Principal of Vermilion Catholic, stated, “I am very proud to welcome Lauryn to our Vermilion Catholic family. This is a key position in the formation of our fully-integrated Pre-K through 12th grade school, and Lauryn’s enthusiasm, expertise and leadership qualities make her the perfect fit to guide us through this transition. In collaboration with our high school faculty, Lauryn’s insight will be invaluable as we critically assess our current curriculum with intent to raise the academic standard, introduce a continuum in learning, offer additional elective opportunities and ensure our students are individually supported throughout their educational career.”
Lee said, “I am truly honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as assistant principal for Vermilion Catholic, a legacy of Mount Carmel. I will forever be grateful for the gift God has given my family by allowing us to join Vermilion Catholic.”
She continued, “Mother Teresa said “If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.” I feel a deep calling to pray for, love, and serve the students, faculty, and staff of this amazing community. The future of Catholic education in Vermilion Parish is extremely bright!”

Lee began her teaching career in Ascension Parish and has spent the last 13 years in elementary education in the Vermilion Parish School System. She is currently an educator at Dozier Elementary in Erath.

Andrea Ford, principal of Dozier Elementary, said, “On behalf of the Dozier Elementary community, we are so proud to support Mrs. Lee in her new role as Assistant Principal at Vermilion Catholic. Lee brings to the students, teachers, and families of VC a genuine love for children, enthusiastic energy, and passion for the art of teaching. Though we are sad to see Lee leave our Bobcat family, we are certain she will soar with her new adventure as an Eagle!”
Vermilion Catholic, a legacy of Mount Carmel, is currently registering students for Pre-K through 12th grade. For more information on Vermilion Catholic, or to register for the 2021-2022 school year, please visit vermilioncatholic.com.