Leonide Manes

New Iberia - Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, December 24, 2012, at Pellerin Funeral Home Chapel, 502 Jefferson Terrace Blvd., New Iberia, LA 70560, for Leonide 'Teenie' Manes, who passed away on Saturday, December 22, 2012. The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 9 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. on Monday, December 24, 2012, at Pellerin Funeral Home in New Iberia. Rev. Edward Duhon will officiate at the Funeral Service. A rosary will be prayed at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in New Iberia. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at a later date. Teenie known as Mamma, Nan, Gum, Maw Maw Teeni, and the Little General, was a wife, mother, and teacher whose wisdom and compassion were respected by those she touched. She served for many years as assistant principal at Mt. Carmel until its close in 1988 and was known affectionately by students and faculty alike as the Little General for her stern but fair discipline. Before she taught at Mt. Carmel she had served as a Brownie, Girl Scout, and Cub Scout leader; as a teacher in the CCD program; as a teacher in Delcambre and Weeks Island, and as the baker extraordinaire of chocolate chip and Russian rock cookies. Teenie is survived by her children, Claire and companion David Breaux, Michael and wife Sheila, and John and wife Patricia, her five grandchildren: Chris Manes, Gretchen Manes, Sarah Manes (Jon Downs), Slade Manes (Danielle Bagaley) and Seth Manes, and her great granddaughter, Edi Noel. She also leaves behind her sister-in-law Mazie Landry and her nephews Patrick, James, Paul and Joseph Landry. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Edmond and Claire Gragnon Landry, her husband Leo Manes, her brother Wilbert 'Booz' Landry, and her nephew Martin Landry. The family wants to thank the entire staff at Consolata Nursing Home who cared for her with respect and concern and who enjoyed her wit, and Joyce Joseph and Willie Joseph (deceased) who both loved and cared for our mother. If you wish to honor her memory - consider a donation to the Mt. Carmel Alumnae Association (c/o CHS Development Office, 1301 De LaSalle Drive, New Iberia, LA 70560), the Sisters of Mt. Carmel (P.O. Box 476, Lacombe, LA 70445-0476), or the Social Service Center in New Iberia (432 Bank Avenue, New Iberia, LA 70560). Pellerin Funeral Home , 502 Jefferson Terrace Blvd., New Iberia, LA 70560, (337.365.3331), is in charge of arrangements. To view on-line obituary, sign guestbook and , go to www.pellerinfuneralhome.com EULOGYClaire and David, Johnny and Patricia, Sheila, Chris, Gretchen, Sarah, Jon, Seth, Slade, Danielle, Edi family and friends: ; ; ; ; ; ;Please indulge me my emotion as I work through these comments. ; First, on behalf of Claire, Johnny and myself and our families Id like to welcome yall to the final earthly roll call for Momma, our celebration of her life, the commencement address for her new life in the hereafter, and the benediction at the closing of the 'Little Generals School' over which she remained as Principal for 93 years. ;We would like to thank all of you for being here today and express our most sincere appreciation for every kindness that has been shown to Momma and us as weve worked through the process of life and its inevitable conclusion with death and now rebirth. ; We will be forever grateful. ;Thanks to everyone at Consolata Home where Momma has resided for the last 5 years, to Miss Peggy her faithful friend, to Miss Joyce and her predecessor - Miss Willie, Lynda, Sami, the Rosary Group and all others who have been there for Momma when she could no longer be there for herself. On a purely personal note I want to thank and acknowledge two special guardian angels that flew into Mommas life near the end of her independence and did what very few of us could have done. ; ;In 2007 Slade spent 5 months being Mommas care giver. ; He gave up time in the early stages of his life so Momma could extend her all important time at home near the end of hers. ; Martin also offered one month of the time he had left to extend Slades work. Id like to also acknowledge Aunt Maize for the loan of her sons - Mommas nephews - and for the help they provided throughout her life and particular in her time of need as she approached death. ;Before I start this Eulogy let me provide a context for what follows. ; If you watched the video here today - you saw an opening slide that is the cover of a book written by Claire to be published in May. ; It is titled, 'In the Shadow of Leprosy.' ; Momma was raised in the 'Shadow of Leprosy.' ; Leprosy is technically a disease called 'Hansens' - in fact, Leprosy is the symptom - the disease is a society over supplied with ignorance and intolerance - a society that is hard pressed to accept 'different.' ;Mommas daddy, his two brothers and his two sisters all spent the majority of their adult lives in Carville Louisiana as 'Lepers.' ; Folks ostracized from society that was more fearful than smart, more protectionist than tolerant, and more closed-minded than open. ; ;As a 5 year old with a Daddy in Carville - you are alone - really alone. ; Your Momma cant tell you where your Daddy is because the community may turn on you and her. ; There is no vaccination to make you immune from intolerance and ignorance and the isolation that follows. ; ;Mommas experiences as a young girl shaped her into the adult she became. ; She chose to be a survivor not a victim. ; She reached out to underdogs because she was never a top dog. ; She protected the loner because she had been one. ; She was compassionate because she knew how important kindness was to her. ; Momma believed in playing the cards life dealt you - because she had been dealt a 'losers' hand and won anyway. ;Dale Dauten is a national columnist and a friend. ; ; He says, 'Different isnt always better but better is always different.' ; Momma embraced each of us and our idiosyncrasies not because we were different but because she knew we might be better. ; ; As Momma taught many of us - be tolerant, show compassion, 'always walk a mile in the other mans shoes,' dont judge and love your enemies - it will drive them crazy. ; ________________________________________________________________________ ;Mommas story follows ;As Momma predicted would happen I already sense some restlessness from so many of you out there - particularly the Alumnae of Mt. Carmel. ; ;Please relax and be assured there will be no homework tonight and detention has been suspended. ; Without the threat of detention and the waste of a Saturday that accompanies it - I must however urge some restraint. ; ;This warning is not for all of you but for a certain group out there - you know who you are. ; Momma gave me a list of your names and I would prefer to not have to read these names today since many of you now have children and ; grandchildren that might be interested to learn the history of behavioral problems that you have successfully hidden from them. ; ; ;Also some of your parents are Mommas friends and some are still alive and they might be devastated to learn the truth about you. ; Momma in her later years would often smile as she watched yall with your 'little darlings' struggling to control their behavior - she called this your pay back - she said pay back is good. ; She was born Leonide Lucy Landry. ; When she married she became Leonide Lucy Landry Manes. ; To our father she was Toots or Tootie. ; To Claire, Johnny and me she was Momma. ; To our contemporaries she was Miss Manes and to a few of our intimate friends she was Miss Teenie. ; To her friends she was Teenie. ; To her nephews Martin, Patrick, Jimmy, Paul, and Joseph she was Nan and that title was adopted by their wives, children, and grandchildren as the moniker of choice. ; To her grandchildren she was Gum or Momma Teenie. ; ;To three or four generations of kids on Harriet Street and the surrounding neighborhoods she was Miss Teenie. ; To the girls at Mt. Carmel she was the Little General or Miss Manes. ; And if I might be so presumptuous - to New Iberia she was a Godsend. ; ;She was a Godsend not as much for who she was but for what she did and for those she touched. ; ; ;Momma was special and in her many years of teaching she left her mark on hundreds of todays Mommas and Grandmothers. ; In turn perhaps some of the lessons you learned will be handed down to your children and theirs. ; For a long time in the future I believe the Little General will cast a long and positive shadow over the banks of the Teche and beyond. ;Momma filled many roles in her time here - including daughter, grand daughter, great grand daughter, wife, care giver for my father during his times of incapacity, mother, sister, teacher, friend, principal, mentor, and neighbor. ; In a world of change she was stable. ; In a world of chaos she was calm. ; ; ; With Momma - what you saw is what you got. ; To see Momma for the first time you might be taken back by her physical presence, demeanor, and pace. ; In her days of playing professional basketball she stood 4 feet 11 inches tall. ; As we bury her today she is about 4 foot 2 inches. ; Time has taken a toll on her. ; She moved at a slow but steady pace - as she often said, 'Dont get in a rush.' ; ;Her demeanor was controlled - what her dear friend Mickey Cyr is to emotion and enthusiasm Momma was to calm. ; She never that I can remember showed excitement or upset that would be noticeable to the untrained eye - you might know her feelings of disappointment, hope, or happiness but it was subtle - understated. ; With her eyes she could control a crowd. ; ; ; ;Momma was a believer that 'life is what it is.' ; She never played the victim card. ;She played and played well the cards she was dealt. ; ; Momma knew some had better lives and she was even more certain that many more had worse. ; She believed and taught us that when life knocks you down, 'pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.' ;She also believed that when you want to judge, condemn, exclude, or ignore someone else - you dont do it. ; Let God hold them accountable - youre not to be the judge or jury. ; Be compassionate. ; You dont know their circumstances. ;Mommas life was good - it was not easy even though her demeanor would speak otherwise. ; The reality is she lived it her way and with dignity and independence. ;The challenge I face today is to reduce Momma and her 93 years of living into a 2,000 word report - typed and proofed and turned in on time - that can be read in about 10 minutes. ; I need to capture the spirit and essence of a very simple woman who lived a modest life yet had incredible reach and impact. ;For this reason Im going to now define Momma with the one word that I believe best describes her, her life, and her living -it is the essence of who she was and what she did. ; Momma was and even in death is a TEACHER. ; She was a teacher on the Island and in Iowa, Houma and Delcambre. ; At Mt. Carmel she was more than a teacher she was an icon. ; Momma also reminded Claire to include in her Eulogy that she taught Catechism. ; Im guessing she thought of that as Trip Insurance for her final voyage. ;It was her career - it is her legacy - because as with all teachers it is the lessons that live on in the minds, hearts, and souls of their students. ; For the balance of this class - a class on history, faith and philosophy Id like to share with all of you one last time lessons taught and hopefully lessons learned. ; ;Mommas teachings were simple and efficient. ; I also know that more often than not these were effective. ; Sadie our black Aunt often told me as a young boy 'I dont know what your Momma told yall but when shed take you in the bathroom for a talking to but youd come out different.' ; I dont know what happened either - it might be PTSD or repressed memory syndrome but it worked. ; ;On a global scale I suspect that effectiveness held true with others because many of the girls from Mt. Carmel years after graduation would talk about how The Little General helped 'straighten them out.' ; ; ; ;I think it was St. Francis Assisi who said - 'teach the gospel everyday, when necessary use words.' ; I suspect life as Momma lived it was a bigger lesson to me than the others that follow. ; Never the less Ill share these with you and encourage you to resurrect in your mind those that had impact on you and if significant enough - pass them on to those you touch. ;With apologies to David Letterman - here are the Top Ten teachings from my Momma - The Little General. ; 10. ; ; ; ;Show compassion - if you cant say something nice ; about ;somebody dont say anything at all. Be patient - never get in a rush. On the mechanics of life shed say to us - dress appropriately - eat your food or clean you plate (or to Claire - drink your egg malt) - mind your manners - its yes sir and yes maam - dont go where youre not invited and dont stay where youre not wanted - ; sit up straight - take your elbows off the table - do as youre told - dont talk back - virtue is its own reward - mind your own business - pick up your mess - dont talk with your mouth full and to me shed so often warn - 'Gods going to hold you accountable for every unnecessary word you speak.' ; I hope shes wrong on this point. ; Fools names and fools faces always seen in public places. ; Play the cards life deals you. ; She once told me about my kids that 'when you like them the least you should love them the most - hold them the closest.' ; ;One of my sons is alive and is mine today because this wise counsel was offered on one of the darkest days of my life. ; Dont borrow trouble. ; Choices have consequences. ; Have faith. ; Pray - ; Now Ill ask each of you to join me in praying the prayer Momma said everyday of her life. ; Its the prayer of St. Francis - Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen. ;When I started I promised there would be no homework - but I will ask each of you as you leave here today to maybe slow your pace, calm yourself down, show some compassion, have faith and pray. ; I also ask each of you that Momma touched in someway or another to share what you learned with someone - help a neighbor or a friend. ; ;To those of you with Mommas and Daddies still on this earth call them and tell them you love them. ; I know mines only been gone a brief time and I miss her already. ; For those with children consider what she taught you and me and when appropriate pass it on. ; I love you, Momma! And now Ill close with the words that meant so much to so many of yall each and every day - ;'Class dismissed.' ;Peace! ;God Bless Us All - ;