Wayne Monroe

Wayne Monroe left this world to live forever with Jesus on Friday, November 5, 2021.  He was born in Lake Charles, LA on September 26, 1949 to Berlin Joseph Monroe of Oberlin, LA, and Myrtle Young Monroe of Basile, LA.  He grew up in Lake Charles, and graduated from LaGrange High School in 1967.  Serving in Vietnam on an aircraft carrier, he forged friendships that lasted his entire life.  Upon returning home, he began working at Citgo Oil Refinery, where he would retire in 2011 after 37 years of service.  There he made many more important and lasting friendships.  If you didn’t know something about Wayne, it was your own fault, because he loved to talk and had very few secrets.

Wayne loved people - from family to friends, to new acquaintances, Wayne loved to visit, joke, debate and share ideas.  Later in life, serving others became his joy, and his daily prayer in retirement was for God to let him help someone that day. The people of St. Theodore Catholic Church in Moss Bluff became a huge presence in Wayne’s life as he enjoyed ushering and teaching CCD.  He considered them his family.

Wayne loved building.  From building boats during his childhood to building his own unique home, and eventually making a table, a bench, a shelf or a sign for anyone who asked, Wayne was a creative and talented builder with knowledge and love of beautiful wood.

Wayne loved the water.  Fresh or salt, Wayne loved to be in, on or near the water all of his life.  He enjoyed fishing, boating and beachcombing to relax and to enjoy God’s creation.

Wayne loved the Rocky Mountains.  Talk to Wayne for more than five minutes and you would probably hear about Colorado, especially about Montrose, his home away from home.

Wayne loved Jesus.  At the end of his life, Wayne displayed a profound peace in accepting God’s will and looked forward to resting in Heaven.

Left to cherish his memory are, his daughters, Renee Meredith (Tim) of Leavenworth, KS, and Nicole Schmutzler (Andrew) of Montrose, CO; his sisters, Janie Doucet (Jerry), and Drusilla Lannin (Mark); his brother, Keith Monroe (JaneAnn); his grandchildren, Cheyenne Meredith, Tuesday Cobb (Bradford), Rodney Schmutzler, and Damian Schmutzler; his great grandchild, Casey Cobb and Ramona Landry, his dear friend.  He was preceded in death by his parents, and baby brother, Glenn David.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at St. Theodore Catholic Church, located at 785 Sam Houston Jones Pkwy, Lake Charles, LA  70611.  Father Aubrey Guilbeau will serve as celebrant.  Burial will follow in Prien Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home.  Visitation will be at Johnson Funeral Home of Moss Bluff, located at 2171 N. Hwy. 171, Lake Charles, LA 70611 on Tuesday, November 9 from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM with a rosary being recited at 6:00 PM.  Visitation will resume at 9:00 AM Wednesday until leaving in procession to the church.