Jeanne Thibodeaux DiStefano
Published in Jennings Daily News December 15, 2024
A memorial mass will be celebrated for Jeanne Thibodeaux DiStefano at 2:30 p.m. Thursday Dec. 19, 2024 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Mermentau with Rev. Andrew Schumacher officiating. Burial will follow in Duhon Cemetery, Mermentau under the direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home of Alexandria.
Jeanne Thibodeaux DiStefano, a resident of Alexandria, passed peacefully from this life on Dec. 11, 2024 at the age of 87.
One of seven children, Jeanne was born in Mermentau to Arthur Thibodeaux and Eleanor Duhon Thibodeaux.
She was retired from the Rapides Parish School Board, having worked at Mabel Brasher Elementary as a paraprofessional for over twenty years.
Jeanne enjoyed many hobbies and it is where her personality truly shined brightest. Sewing, quilting, crossstitching and gardening were included in her repertoire.
A gifted artist, she enjoyed painting with acrylics. While her artwork was primarily reserved for gift giving or an occasional craft show, the Mabel Brasher Elementary School library mural was one of the many things touched by her creative hand. She believed students would be more eager to read in an inviting and colorful environment and she was correct.
She also enjoyed woodworking, specifically, turning cypress knees procured from weekends spent at Cotile Lake or along the Mermentau River, into exquisite Christmas Santa carvings. Her masterful handiwork earned her a state fair blue ribbon and was proudly displayed in the living room, year-round. Those Santas, the special ones reserved for her children and grandchildren, are among her family’s most prized possessions.
Jeanne is preceded in death by her husband, John DiStefano; parents, Arthur and Eleanor Thibodeaux; siblings, Gerald Thibodeaux, James “Jay” Claude Thibodeaux, Gertie “Dolly” Soileau and Polly Hodges.
Those left to cherish her memory are her three children, Cathy Littleton (Chris), Scott Richard, Brian Richard (Michelle); her sister, Kate Bangle; and her brother, Robert Thibodeaux.
Her grandchildren include: Aimee Broussard, Allison Arrington, Emily Fishburn; three great-grandchildren, Hunter, Emery, Harper; and one great-great grandchild, Kenslei.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10