Marie "Shunie" Bryson

Marie “Shunie” Bryson, 83, of Lake Charles passed away at 5:38 PM on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 in a local hospital.

Mrs. Bryson was born in Egan, LA on April 18. 1936. Her parents were Azalie and Olide Thibodeaux. They were sharecroppers so she spent her childhood picking cotton. In the 1950’s she worked as a waitress at Mary Ann’s Café in downtown Lake Charles. That is where she met the love of her life, Ernest E. Bryson Sr. He was in the Air Force and stationed at Chennault Air Base. They were married on September 15, 1956.

Shunie will be remembered as a strong, outspoken woman. She was funny, pragmatic and unmistakably Cajun. She was an avid reader, an excellent seamstress, and an outstanding cook – particularly of Cajun food. Her gift for designing and decorating elaborate wedding cakes was legendary. She was also an outstanding card player who would never pass up a game of bourre. While she was a mature and responsible wife and mother, Conway Twitty and Clint Eastwood made her swoon like a schoolgirl.    

Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, Rev. Ernest Ervin Bryson, Jr. of Baytown, TX, Anthony Ervin Bryson of Seattle, WA, and Jerome Ervin Bryson of Lake Charles; daughters, Virginia Bryson of Houston, TX, and Kathryn Lois Landrum of Houston, TX; seven grandchildren, one great grandchild, and her brother Joseph Thibodeaux.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 53 years, Ernest Ervin Bryson Sr.; her brothers, Melvin, Elvin, Martin, and Nathan Thibodeaux; sisters Yvonne Johnson, Betty Ogea, Zelma Spell, Rita Richard, and Rena Lognion.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, March 6, 2020 in the Johnson Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Ernest E. Bryson, Jr. will officiate. Burial will follow in Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Thursday, March 5 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and will resume on Friday at the funeral home from 9:00 AM until the time of the service.