Sheila “Rusti” Conque
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Sheila “Rusti” Conque on Saturday, September 12th, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana. Fr. Louis Richard, Pastor will officiate. Private gravesite services will be held at a later date.
Visitation with the family will be at the church from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. The family requests that all masking and social distancing guidelines be observed during visitation and celebration of the Mass.
Rusti died peacefully on September 9th, 2020 at her home with her husband Durwood, her daughter Andrea, and her son-in-law Joseph. She was the only child of Jim and Wilda Mae Parker who predeceased her. For the last seven years, Rusti was treated for multiple myeloma by her friend, Dr. Gene Brierre. The family thanks him and his staff, especially Eric Buller, PA, for their dedication to her. The family also thanks Hospice of Acadiana and its staff, especially Jonathan Bourque RN, for their most kind attention and care in her final weeks.
Rusti was born on January 15,1949 and grew up in LaPlace, Louisiana. She attended both Louisiana Tech in Ruston and LSU in Baton Rouge, where she earned a Master’s Degree in social work. It was there that she and her husband Durwood met and married 48 years ago. Rusti worked in foster care and as a counselor for behavior-disordered children in Iberia Parish before retiring to remain at home as a full-time mother to Andrea. For the rest of her life, she was always active in her community as a volunteer counselor, music minister, religion teacher, and grief care volunteer. She was especially proud of her children’s choir, Voices of Angels, which she directed for many years at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Abbeville.
She also served on the Board of Directors of Hospice of Acadiana for ten years. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Hospice of Acadiana online at the Hospice of Acadiana Donation Page, or by mail to 2600 Johnston Street, Suite 200, Lafayette, Louisiana 70503.