Darryl Wayne Fontenot

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the family of Darryl Wayne Fontenot announces his passing on Sunday, October 17, 2021, in a local healthcare facility at the age of 73.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 1, 2021, from 5:00 until 8:00 pm, with a rosary to begin at 6:00 pm, at the Johnson Funeral Home chapel in Moss Bluff, Louisiana.  A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at St. Ann Catholic Church in Mallet, Louisiana.  Father Gregory Simien will officiate.  Interment services with Military honors will follow the Mass at 1:30 PM at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Jennings, Louisiana.

Darryl was born on October 28, 1947, in the small community of Mallet, Louisiana.  He was the youngest of eight children in a large and loving family.  He often told stories of growing up on the farm with his family and friends and frequently said that he had a “beautiful” childhood.

After graduating from high school, Darryl joined the United States Naval Reserves and was called into active duty during the Pueblo Crisis on February 17, 1968.  He was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan and served as a corpsman and a medic at the naval hospital there.  He was very proud of his military service and did much, particularly after his retirement, to help his fellow Veterans obtain needed benefits, services and medical care.

Darryl later graduated with a degree in economics from Texas Southern University in May of 1975.  After graduating, he worked for Conoco, later Conoco Phillips, for approximately thirty-six years before retiring. 

Darryl was a gregarious man with a way of making people laugh and enjoy themselves whenever they were around him.  He never met a stranger; was a wonderful storyteller; had an excellent memory, and was a natural-born historian who could remember family connections and family stories with amazing accuracy (for both his family and the families of others).  He was also a self-taught whiz when it came to stocks, investing and other financial matters.

Darryl is survived by Janie, his ardently loyal wife of fifty-one years, and his three children:  Nicole A. M. Fontenot, Jarred W. Fontenot and James A. Fontenot.  He is also survived by his sister, Ursula Dean Nelson (Thomas), and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Mary LaRue Fontenot, and six of his seven siblings:  Dwight Fontenot, Regis St. André, Jimmy Fontenot (Wilda), Eddie Charles Fontenot (Helen), Ray Fontenot (Peggy), and Richard Fontenot (Betty). 

The family would like to thank the wonderful doctors and nurses at both Christus Ochsner St. Patrick’s Hospital and Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Southwest Louisiana.

In accordance with safety regulations, attendees for visitation and services are respectfully required to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org.