Georgie Mae Martinez "Gee" Durel

"Georgie Mae Martinez Durel, affectionately known to many as "Gee," died peacefully in her Baton Rouge home on June 7. She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and volunteer. She was born in New Orleans on November 5, 1930, to Louis and Elizabeth (Corliss) Martinez. In 1948 she graduated from the Academy of the Holy Angels in New Orleans, and in 1950 married Horace Joseph Durel. She had a long and estimable career in civil service, including working as a secretary in the New Orleans U.S. Attorney's office and later as the secretary for the Clerk of Court, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She was a devout Catholic and an active member of St. Luke's Church in Slidell and later St. Jean Vianney Church in Baton Rouge. After the death of her husband, she spent several years as a volunteer at both Oschner Hospital and Baton Rouge General Hospital. She was preceded in death by her brother Joseph, her parents, and her husband. She is survived by her sisters, Betty McCormick and Bessie Theriot; her daughter Mary Elizabeth Thomas (Gregory) and son Dr. Michael Durel (Brigid); grandchildren Catherine Calligas (Louis), Elizabeth Thomas (Daryl Richards), Mallory Brower (Lucas), Dr. Timothy Durel, Paige White (Jacob), Stephen Durel (Lauren), Benjamin Durel, and Patrick Durel; great-grandchildren Isabel Calligas, Charlotte White, Anne Marie Calligas, Beau Brower, Jack White, and Corrine Durel; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the caregivers provided by "Home Instead," Jennifer Robinson and Kimmie Isaac, who cared for Georgie in her final years. The family will receive visitors at Saint Jean Vianney Catholic Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, immediately followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will be at 2:00 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery, 5190 Canal Blvd., New Orleans. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to either the National Seelos Shrine & Seelos Center, 919 Josephine Street, New Orleans, 70130; or the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baton Rouge, www.svdpbr.org or, St. Joseph's Hospice, Baton Rouge.