Mary Ann Patout Dugal

Mary Ann Patout Dugal, aged 94, died on Friday, September 01, 2023. 

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 06, 2023, from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM in the Skip Montet Memorial Chapel at the LaFond-Ardoin Funeral Home of Opelousas.  A rosary service will be prayed at 11:00 AM in the funeral home by the Ladies Altar Society and the Catholic Daughters. 

A Catholic Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 PM at the same location.  Rev. Fr. Gregory Simien will officiate the services.  The rite of Committal and interment will follow at Bellevue Memorial Park. 

Mary Ann grew up in Jeanerette, Louisiana as the only daughter in a large family.  Her parents, Oswell and Claudia Patout, and each of her six brothers doted on her.  She often reminisced about her childhood, telling stories of her brothers standing her on the end of the table so that Mary Ann, the smallest, would have a chance to speak. 

As a young adult, she attended SLI, which became USL, and is now the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.  She earned a Bachelors of Education and Home Economics.  While attending class there, she couldn’t help but notice a young man, Paul Dugal; he was throwing chalk at her through an open classroom window.  She fell for Paul’s mischievous nature, and they began dating on May 01, an anniversary that they celebrated every year.  Her lifelong love of gardenias stemmed from that date, when on a walk, Paul picked a flower from their path and placed it in her hair. 

After graduation, Mary Ann became a teacher in Jennings, Louisiana.  She and Paul married on December 24, 1949, and  after the school year ended, they moved to Opelousas, Louisiana.  She missed her family and friends in Jeanerette and stayed in touch by writing letters.

Besides her teaching, Mary Ann focused on her family.  She passed on to her son, ⁹James, a love of being in the classroom, to her daughter, Ann, an impeccable sense of style, to her daughter, Cathy, the ability to plan a meal for a family gathering, and to her son, Mark, her strong sense of independence.  She was an excellent seamstress, and throughout the years, made many costumes and clothes for her children.  After her children were school-aged, she became a substitute teacher.  She was a member of the Active Homemaker’s Club. 

Mary Ann was a true southern belle.  Throughout her life, she loved being in the spotlight.  More than that, though, she loved sharing the spotlight with others.  She made the rounds at parties, speaking with everyone there, finding out about their lives and interests.  She drew others into conversations and flitted between the kitchen, the dining table, and the living room.  You knew a party had started when she’d arrive at the door announcing, “We’re here!”

While she never loved to fly, Mary Ann overcame her fears to travel extensively.  She and Paul traveled to Hawaii, Mexico City, and the Bahamas.  Among other trips, they took a cruise to the South Caribbean and visited Caracas.  They were avid snow skiers and RVers, often traveling out west and hiking in their down time.  They were regulars at the Wurst Fest, where they learned the Chicken Dance years before its mainstream popularity.  They played tennis at the Opelousas Swim and Tennis Club for many years.

Back at home, meals involving family and friends were a huge part of Mary Ann’s life.  She spent weeks fine tuning menus and making sure everything was “just right” before guests arrived.  She taught her grandchildren how to properly set the table and the order in which to use the many spoons at each place setting.  Picnics always had fabric table cloths, real silver, and the same exquisitely planned menus. 

Mary Ann was a lifelong reader, starting with paperbacks and more recently shifting to a Kindle.  She was proud of the ways in which she learned to embrace technology; she sent emails from her iPad and checked out library books from the comfort of her chair.  As she read, she would watch the hummingbirds as they visited the garden that she cultivated outside of her window and play with her cat, NocNoc2.

Her Catholic faith was very important to Mary Ann.  She strived to be close to God and lived a life that reflected that commitment.  She was a member of the Catholic Daughters for 60 years, served as a Eucharistic minister, and taught catechism at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.  She was a member of the Ladies Altar Society and volunteered for various events hosted by her church.

Mary Ann and Paul celebrated their 73rd anniversary last December.  At their annual party, hosted at her house, amongst the fine china and crystal, they announced that they were ready to commit to another 73 years.

Mary Ann is predeceased by her sons James Patrick Dugal and Mark Owen Dugal, her parents Oswell & Claudia Patout Sr., her brothers, Oswell Patout Jr., Eugene Patout, Robert Patout, Charles Patout, Claude Patout, and George Patout.

She is survived by her husband of 73 years, Paul James Dugal, her daughter Claudia Ann Dugal of Round Rock, TX and her daughter Catherine Lynn Dugal Cahanin and husband Lee Cahanin of Opelousas, LA.  Her grandchildren are Charlton Harrison and wife Liz of Monterrey, Mexico, Dimitri Dugal Hammond and wife Anny of Austin, TX, Aimee Cahanin and husband Phirun Meach of Herndon, VA, and Eric Cahanin and wife Mary Trigg of Cincinnati, OH.  She has six great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.

As requested by Mary Ann, pallbearers will be six of her nephews:  Chuck, David, Raymond, Paul, and Pat Patout and Chris Leblanc. 

The family would like to give special thanks to Kerry and Manolia. They were always there to lend a hand or ear.