Aaron Paul "Slim" Harson

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, January 31, 2025 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Lafayette, Louisiana for Aaron Paul "Slim" Harson, age 82, who passed away on January 22, 2025. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Delhomme Funeral Home - Bertrand on Friday, January 31, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. A Rosary will be led by Deacon Robert LeBlanc at 11:00 AM on Friday morning in the funeral home. Reverend Father Donavan Labbé will serve as Celebrant and conduct the funeral service. Interment will follow in Lafayette Memorial Park. Aaron Harson, the son of the late Herman Harson and the late Maydel Philomene Boudreaux Harson, was a lifelong resident of Judice, Louisiana. Aaron learned to speak English at Myrtle Place Elementary before the family moved to Judice where his father had been raised. He quickly made lifelong friends and could freely speak Cajun French with them inside and outside of school. He was very athletic at Judice High School in Track and Basketball. He won medals and awards in Lafayette Parish and the District for his athletic ability. Later, as an adult, he would spend afternoons with these old friends at Rex’s Store in Judice. He attended weekly dinners and a coffee group with his old friends until his health prevented him from driving. His loyal friends continued to visit him as their health allowed, and his family is very grateful for their long friendship. Aaron was a talented and skilled carpenter and builder who owned his own company specializing in some commercial and mostly residential construction. During his long career, he was responsible for many challenging projects throughout Acadiana. He spent many nights reviewing blueprints and preparing bids for his various building projects. During construction, he was hardworking and very hands-on. Aaron put his heart into every project, and it was evident in the finished product. A couple of his more memorable projects were the structurally challenging conversion of a barn on the banks of the Vermilion River into a world-class recording studio with an apartment above and the wood construction of the large Mausoleum and Chapel in Lafayette Memorial Park. Aaron was a passionate racehorse owner and trainer until the late 1980’s and never missed an opportunity to attend the races. He trained many great horses that won races all over Louisiana including Evangeline Downs (Lafayette), Jefferson Downs (Kenner), Fair Grounds (New Orleans), Delta Downs (Vinton) and Louisiana Downs (Bossier City). Aaron was a farmer’s son, and during slow construction periods, he raised cattle and farmed sweet potatoes. With all that he would accomplish in life, material and non-material, his greatest treasures were his three sons and wife, Dot. Some of his happiest times and the family’s great memories were: spending Fourth of July at Holly Beach and weekends at the horse track with his wife and kids, building his own large backyard pool where he taught his boys to swim by throwing them into the deep end, getting up early in the morning to feed, walk, and run the horses on his very own track behind his house, giving his wife and kids the opportunity to explore New Orleans, including the 1984 World’s Fair, driving with his family to Henderson for fresh caught catfish to cook for family and friends, taking a drive down to Delcambre for freshly caught shrimp, taking his thirty-foot boat trolling for shrimp in Vermilion Bay with his boys, eating the many sauce piquantes he made with different types of fish, showing his boys how to dry shrimp on window screens, teaching his sons to drive a tractor and weed the rows on the many acres of land used for sweet potatoes, giving the residents on Stutes Road in Judice a great front porch view of the well-kept farm rows to enjoy with their morning coffee (as commented by a neighbor), teaching his sons to raise cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats and to rustle them up from pasture to pasture, and building fences around the property. He spent much of his time helping his sons remodel homes such as the old farmhouse he grew up in so Scott and his family would have a great first home. He also helped Blake, his middle son, to remodel his first home, and worked with Kevin, his eldest son, in building houses. Aaron never ceased teaching his boys to work hard and to take pride in their work. He took great satisfaction in his sons’ college graduations. He loved nothing more than seeing them being dedicated and not giving up on accomplishing their goals, as he did. Aaron loved his boys so much that he broke with generations of Harson tradition in naming his sons. It had been a Harson tradition for hundreds of years to give at least one son the first or middle name of John. Aaron bestowed on his boys the new tradition of giving each son his middle name of Paul. His sons and daughters-in-law have followed in his requested tradition. Aaron loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was always asking about how they were doing in school, sports, and work. He loved to engage in conversation with them. Left behind to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 59 1/2 years, Dorothy “Dot” Romero Harson, his three sons Kevin Paul (Janet) Harson of Lake Charles, Blake Paul Harson of Lafayette, and Scott Paul (Jordan) Harson of Judice; his grandchildren Ian Paul (Lauren) Harson, Jessi Lynn Harson, Daniela Fernanda Harson, Javier Estiven Paul Harson, Laura Ximena Harson, Lesly Nicole Harson, Haze Paul Harson, Corinne Ivy Harson, and Clive Paul Harson. Great-Grandchildren Payton Jade Harson, Ethan Paul Harson, Colton Paul Harson, Blakely Claire Harson, and Kingston Lamorco Paul Harson; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Maydel Philomene Boudreaux Harson; brother, John “Nelson” Harson; and daughter-in-law, Alison Cordill Harson. The family would like to thank those at Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital who worked with Aaron to get him back to the Skilled Nursing facility at Amelia Manor. Thank you to the Amelia Manor staff for your care for Aaron. To his niece, Glynis Kibodeaux, who checked on him while working at Amelia and was with him at the time of his death never leaving his side: Thank you, for your loving dedication, we love you! We appreciate the dedication of Mrs. Dana Simon for her weekly visits over the last few years and for bringing him Holy Communion and praying with him. The family is grateful for the ladies who cared for him this past year: Yolanda, Pam, and Lisa. They tirelessly helped our mother take care of him and around the house. Pallbearers honored to carry Aaron to his final resting place include Kevin Paul Harson, Blake Paul Harson, Scott Paul Harson, Ian Paul Harson, Javier Estiven Paul Harson, and Haze Paul Harson. Honorary Pallbearers are Clive Paul Harson, Colton Paul Harson, Ethan Paul Harson, Mabry Bourque, and Mark Harson. Copyright Delhomme Funeral Homes, Inc. January 2025.

Aaron Paul "Slim" Harson

March 11, 1942 - January 22, 2025