Willis Conques

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, June 22, 2012, 11:00 am, in the Sunrise Chapel at Walters Funeral Home for Willis Paul Conques, 87, who passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday morning at 7:40 am. The Reverend Kenneth Domingue, pastor of St. Leo The Great Catholic Church in Leonville, will officiate the services. Musical selections performed by Gregg Martinez, soloist, and Karen Broussard, organist, will include "Ave Maria", "How Great Thou Art", "The Old Rugged Cross", "The Lord's Prayer" and "Amazing Grace." Lectors will be Kathy Kilpatrick and Clara Baudoin; gift bearers will be Raymond and Katherine Freeman. Interment will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.
Mr. Conques was born on November 1, 1924 and was a native and lifelong resident of Lafayette. He proudly served his country in the United States Naval Service and was honorably discharged with the rank of Boatswains Mate Second Class. He married his high school sweetheart, his "brown-eyed baby" Lucy, on July 8, 1945. They shared thirty-two and a half beautiful years of marriage until her death on February 2, 1978. Together they raised twelve children, instilling in each one of them hard work ethics and their Catholic faith.
After serving his country, Mr. Conques began to work for Union Tank and Supply Company building tanks in the oilfield. Wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, he opened his own dairy and dedicated twenty-six years of hard work to this business until his retirement in 1979. He was 55 years old. He developed Marcon Industrial Park, and with the help of his son-in-law Raymond Freeman, he established and operated Melanie Rose Trailer Park until the time of his death.
Mr. Conques was a devoted husband and father who was fair and honest. He gave generously throughout the years by helping the less fortunate; was a man of few words with an incredible sense of humor; and had tremendous-sized hands that never went unnoticed. He had a habit of calling family and friends "Hors" or "Doc" and eventually was given the nicknames himself. The best advice he ever gave in difficult times was, "You're in the dance, so you might as well dance."
Once retired, Mr. Conques discovered his love for water and became an avid fisherman and shrimper. He enjoyed the sport of boxing, and was an avid Atlanta Braves and New Orleans Saints fan. He will be dearly missed by family, friends, and all who knew him.
Survivors include his eight daughters; Katherine Freeman of Lafayette, Camille Henry of Cypress TX, Kathleen Roche' of Baton Rouge, Delphine Saltzman of Gueydan, Joan Bellard of Carencro, Adele Romero of Carencro, Melanie Weber of Carencro, and Marlene Newell of Youngsville; four sons, Wayne Conques of Toledo Bend, Mark Conques of Rayne, Glenn Conques of Baton Rouge, and Carl Conques of Scott; twenty grandchildren; two-step grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; his former daughter-in-law, Kathleen Weekly Kilpatrick and her husband Richard of Denham Springs; and his brother, Jerry Conques of Lafayette.
He was preceded in death by his parents Annonce Paul Conques and Lelice Marie Guilbeau Conques; his wife, the former Lucy Domingue; his first grandchild Shellie Conques McBride; and two brothers, Wilbert and Floyd Conques.
Pallbearers for the service include his nephew David Conques, Richard Kilpatrick, Patrick Broussard, Malcom Broussard, and grandsons Stephen and Paul Henry. Honorary pallbearers are his son-in-laws, Raymond Freeman and Michael Henry; long time friends, Joe Baudoin, Milton Prejean, and Vincent J. Saitta; and his devoted sitters, Carla Venable, Tammy Breaux, Mandy Powell and Craig Moore.
The family would like to thank Mr. Conques' caregivers; Carla, Tammy, and Mandy for their love and excellent care of Mr. Conques. Personal thanks to Cindi Babineaux and Liz Blomquist for their daily loving help and support to Raymond and Katherine while caring for Daddy. The family will always be forever thankful for the exceptional care provided to Daddy by Dr. Milton Jolivette and staff, the staffs of the 2nd and 7th floors at Lafayette General Medical Center, Complete Home Health, and Iggy and Ms. Rose with Hospice of Acadiana. A very special thank you to his devoted son-in-law, Raymond, who was right by Katherine's side and gave unconditional love and care to Daddy.
The family requests that visitation be on Thursday, June 21, 2012 from 9:00 am - 9:00 pm, and continue on Friday morning from 8:00 am until time of service. Rosaries will be prayed at Walters Funeral Home, lead by Reverend Domingue and accompanied by Liz Blomquist and Cindi Babineaux on Thursday evening at 7:00 pm, and on Friday morning at 9:00 am by Mark Babineaux en Francais.
Memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Conques' name to the American Cancer Society, 1604 W. Pinhook Rd. #182, Lafayette, LA 70508; the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 10532 S. Glenstone Place, Ste. C, Baton Rouge, LA 70810; the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 4613 Fairfield St., Metairie, LA 70006; and the ALS (Lou Gehrig's) Society, PO Box 66825, Baton Rouge, LA 70896.