Brent Lumpkin

William Brent Lumpkin, 71, was called to his heavenly home on Saturday, November 28, 2020, following a brief illness.

A life-long resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Brent was a 1968 graduate of his beloved Lake Charles High School and attended Louisiana State University. He received his real estate license in 1970 and was a licensed broker with Lumpkin Properties from 1973, specializing in commercial investment real estate and development and general contracting. During his career, he attended numerous retail, commercial, investment, industrial, development and management real estate programs throughout the country, choosing to focus on his own real estate development projects during the past twenty-five years. He completed a major retail development in 2011 when he and his partnership acquired and developed  a 25-acre site at I-210 and Nelson Road in Lake Charles in 1997, which included retail establishments such as Walmart Super Center, Chick-Fil-A Restaurant, and Lumpkin Plaza, among others, and in 2016, Courtyard Marriott Hotel and later Marriott Towneplace Suites.

Brent was an active participant in all things Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish.  He loved his community and took pride in serving in many capacities, including the Lake Charles Jaycees, Southwest Louisiana Trade Expo, Education Treatment Council, SOWELA Board of Advisors, the Chamber Southwest Board of Directors, Vice Chair of Economic Development for the Southwest Chamber, Chairman of the Chamber’s “Sailors Make Good Neighbors Campaign,” Salvation Army Board, Go Group Task Force as Chairman for Growth Planning, Calcasieu Parish Industrial Development Board, where he served as president.  He also served on the boards of the Alliance for Positive Growth, Visit Lake Charles, the I-10 Bridge Task Force, Southwest LA Lodging Association, and the Southwest LA Community Foundation Board, where he headed the Foundation’s successful effort to have a dedicated pedestrian/bicycle lane on the new bridge over Contraband Bayou.

For all his civic and business involvement and accomplishments, Brent was perhaps best known as a man who loved his family and friends and supported them in every way possible.  His generosity of spirit, his compassion, thoughtfulness, and genuine concern for those who were blessed to know and love him knew no bounds.  He was ever energetic and encouraged and inspired others with his wisdom and example.  Brent’s great smile and “Whatever It Takes” attitude was a gift he left with many. You could always find a wooden token in his pocket which he often gave away from the motivational speaker Ivory Dorsey. She first spoke to Brent about the “W.I.T.” principle many years ago when she spoke at a seminar here in Lake Charles. Brent attended St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and was a member of the vestry.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jane Jessen Lumpkin; his mother, Nona Carr Lumpkin; six children, Lindsay Lumpkin Colvin and husband Clay of Houston, Texas, Garrett Lumpkin, Blake Lumpkin and wife Blair, and Casey Brent Lumpkin, all of Lake Charles, Whitney Brooks Lumpkin of Austin, Texas, and Taylor Lumpkin of New Orleans; step-children, Jon Streete and wife Lisa of Natchitoches, Foster Streete and wife Megan of Houston, and Morgan Streete Mouhot and husband Matt of Lake Charles; brothers, Steven Bryan Lumpkin and wife Jennifer of Western Grove, Arkansas and Mark Eric Lumpkin, Sr. and wife Debbie of Baton Rouge; fourteen grandchildren, Graydon, Bennett, Jack and Rhodes Colvin, Mary Catherine LeDoux, Abby Cate and Lane Lumpkin, Sarah Lumpkin, Jon Barton, Jolie Kate and James Houston Streete, Macy Streete, and Emma Jane and Eloise Mouhot; and the mother of his children, Patti McIver and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Brent was preceded in death by his father, William Bryan Lumpkin, Jr.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.  Cremation was entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church Rebuilding Fund, 123 W. Sale Road, Lake Charles, LA  70605.

The family would like to express their grateful appreciation for the compassionate care given to their beloved Brent to Dr. Bahviniben Patel and the staff of Avail Hospital and to Dr. Clifford Courville and the exceptional doctors and nurses of the ICU of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. They are also thankful for all of the blood donations made to LifeShare on Brent’s behalf and encourage everyone to continue giving this precious gift of life. His family was overwhelmed with the amazing outpouring of prayers and love from across the country, known and unknown, for our dear Brent. Know that all of those messages were shared with him.