Shirley Ann DeClouet

Shirley Ann Malm DeClouet went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, July 28, 2017. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00AM on Saturday, July 1, 2017 in Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers with Fr. Howard Blessing officiating. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Lafayette. Visitation will be held Saturday from 8:00AM until the time of services. Readers will be Katherine Taylor Miller and Keith Broussard. Gift bearers will be Emma Carret deClouet, Karen Barbara Smith DeClouet, Dawn Vallot deClouet and Janenne Cambre deClouet. Survivors include son, Alexander (Alex) de Clouet, and his wife Dawn of New Iberia, LA; son, Michael deClouet, and his wife Emma of Lafayette, LA; daughter, Christine DeClouet Taylor, and her husband John, of Crowley, LA; daughter, Catherine (Cathy) DeClouet Broussard, and her husband Keith of Many, LA; son, Gregory (Greg) DeClouet, and his wife Karen of Greenwell Springs, LA; and daughter-in-law, Janenne deClouet of Lafayette, LA. Shirley was the grandmother of 29 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. She is also survived by two sisters, Marilyn Malm LeBlanc of Cut Off, LA and Martha Malm McDowell of Houston, TX. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Henry DeClouet, Jr.; sons, David E. DeClouet and Mark D. deClouet, Sr., and her parents, Louis A. Malm and Alice Beaudoin Malm. Shirley was born in 1926 in Minneapolis, MN and spent her formative years in East Aurora, NY, where she enjoyed participating in sports and school activities. At 17, she and her family moved to Opelousas, LA and shortly thereafter, to Lafayette, LA. She studied fashion design at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. On a semester break, she met Paul Henry DeClouet, Jr. and they were married in Lafayette, LA in 1947. She and Paul established their home in New Iberia, LA in 1952 and raised seven children. They both were very active in community affairs and St. Peters Catholic Church. For many years, she served as an Engagement Encounter leader, alongside her husband, counseling thousands of those receiving the sacrament of Marriage. As President of Les Jeunes Amies Woman’s Organization in New Iberia, she served on the committee to build Consolata Home for the Aged and Infirm in New Iberia in 1960. For over 30 years, she served the poor as a director and board member at the Disch-DeClouet Social Service Center in New Iberia, LA, served on the Parish Council and was a lay minister at St. Peter Catholic Church in New Iberia. Along with her husband, Paul DeClouet, she was instrumental in creating and maintaining the Upper Room Prayer Fellowship for 32 years and was very active in the Charismatic Catholic Community. She and Paul also conducted monthly Family Prayer Meetings for over 35 years. During her years of service, she received the Bishop’s Service Award and the Second Wind Award. Shirley had great faith in, and love of, God along with a determined spirit from her Yankee upbringing. She was the very proud matriarch of her large, competitive family and loved spending time with them all. One of her favorite pastimes was playing bridge with her weekly bridge group in New Iberia. She was a resident of Cornerstone South in Lafayette, LA for the past few years and the family would like to thank the staff for their care and patience during her residency. Pall bearers will be Christopher Paul deClouet, Michael Paul deClouet, Jason Michael Broussard, Stuart Foster Taylor, Mark Damien deClouet, Jr. and Gregory John DeClouet. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Disch-DeClouet Social Service Center, 432 Bank Avenue, New Iberia, LA 70560. Personal condolences may be sent to the DeClouet family at www.delhommefuneralhome.com. Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA is in charge of funeral arrangements. “I was hungry and you fed me; Thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and you welcomed me; Naked and you clothed me.” Matthew 25:35-36

Shirley Ann DeClouet

March 3, 1926 - June 28, 2017