Randy Gerard Gervais

Randy G. Gervais passed into the presence of his Heavenly Father on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at the age of 61. He was a professional athlete, self-made business man, philanthropist and beloved family man.

Randy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and at the age of 15 he became a professional jockey. For years Randy enjoyed the thrill of the racing thoroughbreds.

After retiring from professional horse racing, Randy opened the yellow pages to “A” and was confident he could be an audio-visual production technician. After one short year, he decided to venture out on his own and in 1982, Randy established Royal Productions. He pioneered the audio visual industry by focusing on bringing unparalleled service to high end hotels and corporations across North America. Randy’s work also led him to meet his beloved wife, Lori Burckel, while working for Hyatt Regency Hotels. Today, Royal Productions’ culture continues to thrive due to the passion Randy ignited throughout the company. The high-quality service and dedication to excellence will continue at Royal Productions with the leadership group and employees committed to pushing the company to new heights in honor of their founder.

As an owner in the horse racing industry, Randy continued to be an advocate and a voice for jockeys nationwide. His involvement in philanthropy led him to start Student Caffe, a free online resource focused on providing guidance and knowledge to those seeking higher education, trade school and more. Through his faith he served The Servants of Mary Ministers to the Sick by always being available for anything they needed. In addition, provided his services and support to countless individuals by sponsoring children and teams in seasonal sports, schools, churches, etc.

The only thing Randy loved more than work was his family. Randy’s son and daughter will honor his legacy not only in business but also through faith & kindness, as was demonstrated to them daily by their father.

Randy was preceded in death by his parents, Donald Severinus and Beverly Mae Wigginton Gervais of New Orleans; and niece, Dr. Laura Ashley Burckel Peterson of Lake Charles.

Those left to cherish his amazing life are his wonderful wife, Lori, and his two children, Randy and Burckel; brothers, Dr. Donald (Wendy) Gervais and Rusty (Missy) Gervais; sister, Ann Marie (Danny) Templet; his in-laws, Joseph W. and Frances C. Burckel; Joseph (Pam) Burckel, Daryl (Mary) Burckel, Wayne (Janet) Burckel, and Brad (Christi) Burckel; nieces, Barbara Jo, Cindy, Kelly, Natalie, Melissa, Victoria, Sarah, Ashley, Chloe, and Sha; nephews, Wayne, Brad, Brandon, and Joshua; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, great-nieces and nephews, as well as other relatives and friends and of course his Royal Productions family.

There will be a Celebration of Randy Gervais’ Life on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at Lake Lawn Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70124, beginning with visitation from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, with Mass to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund (PDJF) in honor of Randy G. Gervais at pdjf.org or P.O. Box 803, Elmhurst, IL 60126.