Mrs. Josephine Boudreaux Lirette and Daughters

Name: Mrs. Josephine Boudreaux Lirette

Husband: Elgin Lirette

Marital Status: Widow

Children: Sandy, 32, Elgin Paul, 30, Celeste, 26, Jordan, 20 and Sarah, 18

This is the last picture taken of the whole family together, all nineteen of us.

Favorite Scripture Verses:
Philippians 4: 19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

My Story

We first met in the second grade.

Our teacher’s name was Mrs. Edna Palmer. She was an elderly widow. She was very prim and proper, tall and slender. She always wore a sweater. (Just like Mr. Rogers, but hers was gray) I can remember she use to use one of those things that you put a piece of chalk in, so her fingers wouldn’t get chalk dust on them. She even had her students wash the chalk boards for her so she wouldn’t get her hands dirty. You’re probably wondering why I’m saying so much about Mrs. Palmer. Well, I said those things so I could lead up to something that she would do in her class.

She had this chart that hung on the classroom wall, which was used to help her students work on their daily hygiene. Each students name was written on the chart, where little stickers would be placed next to each name determining how “cleaned up” they were. The stickers consisted of a little bar of ivory soap, (which meant that you were sparkling clean) or a yellow sticker, (which meant that either your clothes, face, hands, fingernails, or shoes weren’t the cleanest) or a red sticker (which meant that you should go back home and get cleaned up and then come back to school.) Well, each morning Mrs. Palmer would have Cindy Authement and myself go around to each student and check them over and determine which sticker they would get on their chart for the day. Well, each day when we would get to Elgin’s desk, I would pray that he would come to school “cleaned up” so I could give him a little Ivory Soap sticker. But, Elgin being Elgin, it just never happened. Each day as we got to him he would put out his hands with a grin from ear to ear, to show us just how dirty his fingernails were. And each day of that second grade year we rewarded him with either a yellow or red sticker. Most of the time it was red. That’s when my little second grade heart first started to notice Elgin. Each day he would do something that would make me laugh. He use to say, “Peak a Boo, where are you? I’m in the garbage can.” I know that isn’t even funny, much less does it even make sense, but it would make me laugh, and he knew that it would make me laugh, so he would say it to me each day. Well, at the end of that school year he was sent to another school and I would not see him again until we were in the eighth grade.

When my best friend would start liking him and introduce us. Well, you got it right; NOW, my little eighth grade heart fell for him all over again. Well, pretty soon he was out of the picture again. UNTIL a few years later when my oldest brother began to see this girl by the name of Claudia, and they began planning their wedding. Well, only God could have worked things out the way that He did. Elgin and Claudia were first cousins, (their dads were brothers and they lived next door to each other.) So, who do you think were paired up to serve in the wedding together? Yup, you got it right, Me and Elgin!

Well, the wedding day happened and when my brother and his new bride came home from their honeymoon, they walked into Claudia’s mom’s house to find Elgin on the telephone. Claudia asked him who he was talking to and her mouth dropped open when he answered her that it was me. I was 16 at the time and “My Cajun Man” was 17. Eleven months later “My Cajun Man” asked me to marry him.

Four months later at the ripe old age of 17 we were married.

We began our family, when one year and two days later Sandy was born, she began her family with her marriage to Mitchell Hebert and they have 3 children, Mitchell Jr. who is 13, Heather is 11 and Hannah is 7
Our Son, Elgin Paul was born two years later, he and his wife Rene’ have 6 children together, Elgin Paul Jr. is 11, David is 9, Austin is 7, Alice Grace is 5, Chase is 5 and Christan is 3.

Celeste came four years later and she is married to Ryan Rodrigue and they have not begun their family as of yet.

Jordan would arrive six years after, and then our Sarah would complete our family two years later.

My Nightmare

My nightmare began May 11, 2008, on Mother’s Day, when Elgin, my husband of 33 years, was killed and taken from me and my children. A 21 year old drunk driver, who was also on drugs, crossed the center line, hitting Elgin head on. Elgin was carrying 2 1/2 tons of offshore oilfield equipment which slammed into the back of his truck’s cab, splitting his head open and killing him. Both vehicles burst into flames, burning both bodies beyond recognition. That was the beginning of my “nightmare.”

Elgin was driving for a trucking company, which my daughters and I have received no compensation, from this company, or the trucks insurance, and we receive no government help.

This was the last picture taken of Me and Elgin in April.

Since then my two daughters, Jordan, age 20, and Sarah, age 18 and in her final year of homeschool, have been trying to support ourselves by selling the produce we pick from our garden, doing housecleaning jobs and making homemade items. Some, “helpful” people keep telling me that Jordan and I need to go out and get a job to help support our family. My husband and I truly believed that The Lord called my daughters and me to be “Keepers at Home” and not go out into the “world” and work at places like Wal-Mart where they would be expected to sell customers alcohol and tobacco items or in local restaurants where they could have their “virtue” compromised. I myself am having a number of health concerns and am unable to work in areas that would benefit myself and my girls.
Our 18 year old van has broken down 5 times since Elgin was killed, and The Lord has blessed us with people who have gotten it fixed for us. The last time someone got it repaired, it broke again a few days later. Whereas, The Lord put it on someone’s heart to bless my daughters and me with a nice, second hand vehicle. So after being provided for for the past 33 years, my daughters and I only have The Lord to rely on.

This is one of the last pictures I took of Elgin on my birthday. He was killed 9 days later.

Elgin and my special song had been, “I Got You Babe”, by Sonny and Cher. This song pretty much told of our young lives together. Today my special song is, “How Great Is My God”. We were so blessed by God. I consider myself one of the most Blessed women. I’ve been Blessed to have been married all of these years to one of the most wonderful men that The Lord ever created and I Thank Him and give Him Praise for allowing me to be…Mrs. Elgin Lirette Jr.

~Mrs. Josephine Lirette~

Mrs. Lirette and her daughters are currently in the process of designing a website to advertise their homemade products, and hopefully it will be up and running in the very near future. You can read about Mrs. Lirette on her personal blog, Welcome to the Home of Dixie Cajuns.

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