Obituaries for DECEMBER 2005; Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, La. Submitted by Louis Lavedan. Source: The Lafourche Daily Comet Last modified: 24 Dec 2005 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. ============================================================================ December 15. 2005 4:45PM Lloyd Gaubert Lloyd Francis Gaubert, Shipboard and Industrial Cable Distribution Company Executive; born in Thibodaux Jan. 6, 1921, son of the late Camille J. and Leonise Henry Gaubert of Thibodaux. He is survived by his six children: Lloyd Jr., Leonise Ditoro, Bruce, Blane, GiGi Burk, and Greg; 20 grandchildren and one great- grandchild. He graduated from Thibodaux High School, lettered 3 years in football (1937-39) and was known as "Bruiser." He was a student at Southwestern Louisiana (1939-41), University of Southern California (1941-42), Texas Christian University (1946-47). student and tooling engineer for Consolidated Aircraft Corp., San Diego (1941-45). He was project engineer at Fort Worth plant Convair (1946-47); founder, owner and CEO of L.F. Gaubert and Co, Inc., New Orleans (1947 - present); president of Michoud Industrial Complex, Inc., Marine Industrial Cable Corporation; Carmel Development Corporation; director of First National Bank of Commerce; president of Ramada Inn Thibodaux; chairman of the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission; New Orleans Mayor's Coordinating Committee for NASA (1961-63); member of the board of directors of the Better Business Bureau, New Orleans; member of the Metropolitan New Orleans Safety Council; commissioner of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad; member of the New Orleans Traffic and Transportation Bureau; USCG Academy Foundation; member of the New Orleans Opera House Association; trustee of Christian Brothers; trustee of WYES-TV; founder and chairman of Mid-City Carnival Club "The Greatest Bands in Dixie"; served as a pilot with the United States Army Air Force (1942-45). He was president of the American Society of Tooling and Manufacturing Engineers (1948-49); member of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, The American Society of Naval Engineers, The Louisiana Engineering Society, and president and state director of the Navy League. He was also a member of the New Orleans Petroleum Club, the Executive Committee of the Sugar Bowl, and the President's Advisory Council Loyola University (1989). American Legion, GOP supporter, Man of Manresa for 46 years, Who's Who in the South and Southwest (1989); member of the Plimsoll Club, Board of Trade, New Orleans Petroleum, International House, President of Eros Carnival Club (1960-1989), Board of Hermes Carnival Club (1978-1989); board of director and member of Planning of New Orleans City Park in 1969, chairman Recreation Committee General Charles de Gaulle (1960), Optimists Club president (1957-58), Lieutenant Governor, (1959-70). Member Ancient Order of Hibernian; Grand Marshall Thibodaux Fire Department, (1974). He was the member of American Legion & Knights of Columbus; He was presented the key to the City of Thibodaux (2004); awarded "Man of the Year" for Christian Brothers (1989), "St. Louis Medallion" Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop Francis B. Schulte (1990); he was "First Prize Winner Overall" March of Dimes Le Gourmet International Gala Celebrity Chefs (1990). He was a parishioner of St. Frances Cabrini and St. Pius X Catholic Churches. Visitation by relatives and friends on Thursday, December 15th, from 9am until Mass at 11am at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 6666 Spanish Fort Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124, under the direction of Jacob Schoen and Son Funeral Home Directors. Visitation by relatives and friends will be 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Landry's Funeral Home, 821 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux, and 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday at the church. ============================================================================ December 17. 2005 12:00AM Lloyd Gaubert, pioneering Thibodaux businessman, dies KATINA A. GAUDET Staff Writer Picture THIBODAUX -- Lloyd Gaubert Sr. made a name for himself in New Orleans, but he never forgot where he came from. Born in Thibodaux, he moved to the Crescent City early in life and distinguished himself in the business community, serving among the key pioneers responsible for bringing the NASA complex now known as Michoud to New Orleans East. His ties to professional and civic associations in New Orleans, where he rode out Hurricane Katrina earlier this year, are as extensive as they are varied. But he was forever tied to the community in which he was born and raised. He was presented a key to the city of Thibodaux in 2004. Gaubert died Monday in Thibodaux at age 84. His funeral was Friday, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. "His heart was always in Thibodaux," said daughter GiGi Burk. "Everybody knew my dad was from Thibodaux because he never passed a person and didn't let them know." Although Gaubert moved on to bigger things in a bigger community, establishing himself in business and in New Orleans political circles, he was fond of saying "I'm just a poor, little Cajun boy from Thibodaux," Burk said. "He was always very balanced in life because of his upbringing in Thibodaux." A graduate of Thibodaux High who attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana, University of Southern California and Texas Christian University, Gaubert served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He founded his own company in New Orleans, one specializing in the manufacture and distribution of marine and industrial cables, after working as a tooling engineer for Consolidated Aircraft Corp. in San Diego. He would also work as a project engineer at Convair's Forth Worth, Texas, plant before his move to New Orleans. Those who knew Gaubert tout his commitment to family and community and his business savvy. "He was an innovative thinker in his business practices," recalls longtime family friend and Thibodaux lawyer Jerald Block about the man many affectionately referred to as "Bruiser." "He developed innovative products for the Michoud facility." A past president of Michoud Industrial Complex Inc., the predecessor of the New Orleans Business and Industrial District, Gaubert also served as a member of the Mayor's Coordinating Committee for NASA, a panel that helped establish the facility in New Orleans East in the 1960s. He served as chairman of the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, which was responsible for developing the Poydras corridor and locating the Louisiana Superdome there. Gaubert was a member of the Sugar Bowl Executive Committee and the President's Advisory Council at Loyola University and a trustee for WYES, the public TV station in New Orleans. In Thibodaux, Gaubert was president of the Ramada Inn and worked to develop the residential area behind the hotel. He was served as the grand marshal of the Thibodaux Volunteer Fireman's Fair parade in 1974. Gaubert would spend his final days in Thibodaux following his evacuation from his Bayou St. John home, where he and a dozen others rode out Hurricane Katrina. His home was higher than most, so family and friends congregated there. After the storm, Gaubert's son Bruce rescued two people -- one from the man's attic using an ax and another swimming down the street -- in a small boat and brought them to Gaubert's home. Although rescuers had come to his home, he was concerned about being lowered into a boat and about being taken to the Superdome after hearing about the situation there on the radio. Even "Good Morning America" dropped by, asking if he needed to be rescued. The meeting resulted in a 20-minute piece on the national television program that featured Gaubert and other diehard New Orleanians, a positive piece about people, their love of New Orleans and their unwillingness to leave the city. Gaubert eventually agreed to be taken from New Orleans, but only after he was assured he'd be taken to his hotel in Thibodaux. The experience afforded Gaubert an opportunity to spend time with the people around town he knew. He died at Thibodaux (Regional Medical Center, said Ditoro. "When he was here the last month," she said, "he saw a lot of old friends and got to spend time with him. It was really special to him."