Beverly Anne (Leger) Rivette (1937 - 2011)

Born 30 May 1937 in Opelousas, St. Landry, Louisiana, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Adam Joseph Rivette — married 14 Dec 1952 (to 9 Aug 1980) in St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, St. Landry, Louisiana

Died 14 Oct 2011 at age 74 in Opelousas, St. Landry, Louisiana, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Deb Davis [send private message]

Biography

Beverly Anne Leger was born at home on 30 May 1937 to Alphonse Leger and Marie Rena Lafleur. Since she was born at home she did not have a birth certificate. Many years later, when she wanted to take a cruise, she had to obtain a “Delayed Certificate of Birth.” At this point her parents were deceased, so her aunt, Zetty Lafleur Hebert, had to give a statement that Beverly was, in fact, who she claimed to be. There were a lot of laughs about this “Delayed Certificate of Birth.”^[1]

Beverly, or “Sissy,” as she was known to her siblings, was baptized on 19 June 1937 into the Catholic religion at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, LA. Her godparents were her uncle, Charles Leger, and her aunt, Itry Lafleur. Sissy made her first communion on 14 May 1947 at St. Landry, and was confirmed at the same church on 7 June 1949. ^[2] Here’s what she wrote in her journal about receiving her First HolyCommunion. “I believe that I was seven years old. I remember that we had to know the ten commandments and the Bishop would test us. I was scared but got to wear a beautiful white dress and veil and had a small white prayer book all my own.” She credited her mother and her aunts for passing on the faith to her, a faith that sustained her throughout her life.^[3]

At the time of her birth she had one older brother, Curtis. Affectionately known as “Bubba,” he was 2 years and 9 months older. They lived on her grandfather, Artheus Leger’s farm, in the country outside of Opelousas, LA. Sissy used to follow Bubba around whenever she could, which wasn’t often, as her mother kept her close to the house. In a memory journal given to her by her granddaughter, Chere, Bev told of hiding from Bubba near a large tree on the banks of Bayou Teche; despite her best efforts at hiding, Bubba always found her. Her favorite toy was a doll named “Dolly.” She also told of playing on a tire swing. On the weekends Bubba, Sissy, and her mom and dad would visit family, Sissy would have a chance to play with her cousins. She had a lifelong love of reading; as a child, the “Nancy Drew” novels were among her favorites. She passed her love of reading on to her daughters.^[3]

Though both of her parents, and her brother Curtis, could speak French, Beverly’s mom, Rena, did not want her to speak French. At the time, speaking French was looked down upon, as if the person was a lower class. (In later years, Louisiana embraced its Cajun culture and even started a French immersion program in schools, where students would learn to speak French fluently.)^[4]

As a child Beverly would “steal” some of her Daddy’s eggs to exchange for candy from a traveling store that would stop at the farm. The traveling store was called a “hack”. Her favorite treats were homemade peanut butter cookies and her Mom's homemade bread. She would make a hole in the middle and put a load of butter and syrup in that hole! Scrumptious!^[3]

During the second world war, the family moved to New Orleans, and her father went to work at Delta Shipyards building the Higgins boats. After the war, they moved back to Opelousas and her father went back to work for his father, Artheus Leger, on the rice farm. After three years of failed crops, Beverly and her family moved to Opelousas where her father found work driving a Budweiser Beer truck, and her mother worked as a sales woman in Abdalla’s department store. Eventually her parents bought a lot on Guidry Street and built a home. It was a modest home, but was a huge improvement from the “shack” they lived in on the farm. When she was eight years old her parents had another son.^[3]

Beverly attended Opelousas High School. When she was 12 years old, a handsome dark haired newspaper delivery boy caught her eye. She was not allowed to date or have boys over, but Adam would sometimes walk her home. They would go their separate ways at the train tracks so her parents would not find out. In later years she told her daughter Debbie how she would sit on the porch waiting for the newspaper, just to get to talk to Adam. She also confessed that she would sometimes hide the newspaper, so he would have to come back and she would get to see him again! ^[3]

When Beverly was 14, Adam enlisted in the Navy with his friend, (Beverly’s brother), Curtis. Adam and Curtis were stationed in San Francisco. Bev and Adam wrote each other frequently and there were many long distance calls from San Diego to the Leger household. Adam asked Bev to become engaged and told her he would be returning home on leave Dec. 7. It took a while to convince her parents to let them marry, they thought at 15 she was too young. Eventually, her parents reluctantly agreed, and Beverly and Adam were married on 14 December 1952 at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Opelousas, LA. Beverly wore a beautiful navy blue outfit, Adam wore his Navy blues.^[3][5]

The couple honeymooned for two days in New Orleans. Beverly went with Adam and Curtis when they returned to San Francisco. Adam went to the ship to pick up his pay check, and was surprised to learn the ship was setting sail for “maneuvers.” He was not allowed to even let his bride know what was happening. Beverly had $2.00 to her name, and was alone in her hotel room, scared to death in a town full of sailors! Finally she gathered her courage to leave the room and found a pay phone where she called the dock. She learned Adam and Bubba would be gone for two weeks. She called her dad who sent her some money, but she had no way to get to the Western Union office to pick it up. So she bought a bread and a jar of grape jam with her $2.00. About 11 days later, her brother, Curtis, showed up at her door, followed shortly by Adam. Since they were both going to set sail for Japan in two weeks, Beverly returned to her parents home.^[3]

In December,1954, Beverly delivered her first child, a daughter, while Adam was still serving in the Navy on the U. S. S. Princeton. Eventually the couple had two more daughters, and one son.^[4]

Nineteen years after Bev was born, her parents had a second daughter. In fact, Beverly was pregnant with her second child, at the same time her mom was pregnant with her little sister! Bev and her siblings remained close all her life. When her parents were alive she and her siblings met frequently at their parents’ home for coffee and to share meals. Once their parents were gone, they continued this tradition, meeting for coffee several times a week, often in Beverly’s home, and as often as they could for dinners together.^[4]

After the birth of their second daughter, Adam and Beverly moved to Gretna, LA. They initially rented an apartment behind Orgeron’s Barber Shop. Later the family bought a home in a new subdivision in Gretna called Terrytown. Beverly was a stay at home mom for many years. She worked for a little while as a telephone operator but eventually went to work as a Dispatcher for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Beverly loved this work! Adam worked as a Brakeman/Conductor for the Southern Pacific Railroad. ^[4]

After their two older daughters were married, Beverly and Adam decided to move back to Opelousas to be nearer to their families. They had several years of happiness in Opelousas. During this time, their third daughter, was married. Unfortunately Adam was diagnosed with cancer in early 1980, and passed away 8 short months later. Beverly grieved his death. At the time of his death, all three daughters were married; their son, was the only child living at home, and they had four grandchildren. ^[4]

Before he died, Adam helped their oldest daughter's husband land a job with the Southern Pacific Railroad in Lafayette, LA., as a Security Officer. So Debbie and her husband moved to Opelousas with their two sons, shortly after Adam passed away. During this time, Bev and Debbie both enrolled in a local community college, Louisiana State University at Eunice, planning to become Registered Nurses. Unfortunately Debbie’s husband decided to return to community police work, and the family had to move to Luling, LA. Beverly continued school for a little while but eventually decided to return to work as a Dispatcher, this time at the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. There is a funny story she told about an essay she had written for an English class. The assignment was to write a true story. Beverly wrote of the time she was on a drive with her family, the windows of the car were open and her dad was driving rather slowly. Suddenly a bird flew into the car, landed on Beverly’s head, and laid an egg! Well her professor just could not believe that was a true story and originally gave her a failing grade. Beverly was pretty insulted! She marched right in his office and assured him her story was absolutely true - she must have convinced the professor because she received a passing grade. ^[4]

Beverly married three times. Etell Fontenot was her last husband. He had been a Deputy at the Sheriff’s office. They had several years together before Etell passed away. Beverly loved to do crafts, she and Etell had made several lovely beaded Christmas ornaments! It was while Beverly and Etell were visiting Debbie that Beverly learned to quilt. She knew how to sew, so it was not hard for her to learn to quilt. And once she learned, she took off! Quilting, shopping for fabric, and always planning the next project consumed her. She joined two quilting guilds, Quilters’ Guild Acadienne, in Lafayette, and the Krotz Springs Quilt Guild, in Krotz Springs. Here she made many friends.^[4]

She was a happy person, not afraid to laugh at herself. She was very close to her family, and her home was known as the “coffee spot” by both family and quilters. It was quite a popular place for friends to meet and enjoy conversation, accompanied by a strong cup of Louisiana coffee and a dessert. Beverly was a great baker, known for her Raspberry Cake, her Lemon Cake, and her lemon merinque pies. She could make a great gumbo, along with chicken and beef stews!^[4]

Her deep faith sustained her through the deaths of those she loved. Her favorite prayer was the 23rd Psalm, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Her granddaughter, Chere, produced a video as a college project titled, “It Just Is.” The video explored the importance of religion to Cajuns. Beverly and her daughter, Cheri, were both interviewed in the video. In her later years she was invited by her daughter, Cheri, to join a faith sharing group. The group met at each other’s homes, to learn and share their faith. On her death, one of the members of the group wrote a poem titled, Bev's Table. ^[4]

Bev enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow. In addition to Debbie and Cheri’s four boys, her daughter, Lori, had three daughters. and her son, Joey, had two sons and a daughter. Beverly saw her grandchildren as often as she could. She was especially close to Lori’s three girls who lived in Opelousas. Beverly got to watch several of her grandchildren graduate from high school. She also loved playing with her great-grandchildren! ^[4]

Beverly passed away suddenly on 14 October 2011 from a heart attack and aortic aneurysm. She left behind her four children, ten grandchildren, and several great grandchildren. She is buried next to her husband, Adam, in Bellevue Memorial Cemetery in Opelousas. ^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Leger, Beverly. Delayed Certificate of Birth.
2. ↑ Baptismal Certificate.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Memories by Beverly Leger.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} Personal knowledge Deborah Davis.
5. ↑ Marriage Certificate
6. ↑ Leger, Beverly. Death Certificate.