Bernice Ann Cazzetta Melancon

Bernice, a native of St. Bernard Parish, graduated from Chalmette High School in 1957. She married Jerry in September 1958, and together they raised their family in their beloved community. A devoted Catholic, Bernice spent her life nurturing her family, her faith, and serving her community. Known affectionately for her culinary skills in "Bernie's kitchen," she delighted in caring for and feeding others. In the early 1980s, Bernice and Jerry relocated to St. Tammany Parish. She found pleasure in playing cards, bingo, and the occasional visit to the casino for slots. Yet, Bernice's true happiness came from moments spent with Jerry, and witnessing her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow. In her later years, she enjoyed observing the birds, squirrels, and ducks from her favorite chair through the window.

Bernice is survived by her devoted husband of 66 years, Jerome “Jerry” G. Melancon, Sr., and her children, “Debbie” Melancon, “Jay” Melancon, Jr. (Wendy), Denise Melancon, and Donna Primeaux (John). She was a loving grandmother to Cody Melancon (Ashley), Brittany Fortenberry (Michael), Jerome “Trey” Melancon, III, Jessie Lanclos, Jacob Melancon, Mia, Michael and Aiden Primeaux; and her great-grandchildren, Bryleigh, Alyssa, Michael Fortenberry; Jenna, Lynnie, and Karson Lanclos. She also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Rose Rita Delaney, Emile Cazzetta, and Josephine LeBlanc.

Services will be held on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Grace Funeral Home, 450 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, LA. Visitation begins at 10:00 AM, followed by a Mass at 12:00 PM, officiated by Fr. Robert Cooper. Following Mass, burial will take place in St. Lazarus of Bethany Memorial Garden, adjacent to the funeral home.

Words of Remembrance by Brittany Boudreaux:

On behalf of the family we would like to thank you for coming to celebrate the life of Bernice Melancon with us. She was born on October 16,1939 to Rosalie and Frank Cazzetta. She grew up in St. Bernard Parish and graduated from Chalmette High School in 1957. In September 1958 she married Jerry Melancon and they would soon add to their family 4 children (Debbie, Jay, Denise and Donna). Her 4 children were blessed with a caring and dedicated mother. Maw Maw Bernice was a person that her kids and their friends could rely on. She was the mother always hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas at her house. When Debbie was a little girl she wanted a horse and Maw Maw Bernice made sure she got a horse and would take her to stables to take care of the horse. Maw Maw Bernice carried the role of room mom and participated in all school functions. When her kids got home from school, she always had dinner cooked. When Jay would go out with his friends on Friday and Saturday night, they would get home late and Maw Maw Bernice always got up and cooked breakfast for them, her kitchen would soon be called Bernie’s Kitchen. (This is probably why my dad always joked with Maw Maw Bernice that he was her favorite.) When Denise would go out with her friends, they would always end up back at Maw Maw Bernice’s house because her home was always open to everyone. She would make all Denise’s friends call their parents to let them know they were staying at her house for the night. Maw Maw Bernice would also take on the role of a softball parent which meant helping Donna practice. She loved watching her children achieve their dreams and goals in life as they grew into adults and she was proud of them. I know Maw Maw Bernice is in heaven with Paw Paw Henry taking care of him. He always held a special place in her heart. They would spend a lot of time on the swing talking and she always made sure he had something to eat.

In February of 1991, Maw Maw Bernice became a grandmother of her first grandchild, Cody. When Cody was born her whole world lit up, becoming a grandmother was something she prayed for. Maw Maw Bernice immediately filled the grandmother role by spoiling Cody. Cody could do no wrong in Maw Maw Bernice’s eyes. She was everything you could ask for in a grandmother. As Cody grew up, she became a friend and a voice of reason and wisdom and sometimes a reality check when you least expected it. Maw Maw Bernice was everything to him as a child, and he could not wait to go to Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s house on weekends or holidays. When he went to visit nothing was ever off the menu like Cody’s personal favorite stuffed artichokes and he always loved sharing a bowl of ice cream with her and pawpaw while watching her favorite TV shows NCIS or Hallmark movies. Nothing can explain the way Maw Maw Bernice will be missed but the memories they made and the time they shared together will forever hold a special place in his heart.

In May 1995, Maw Maw Bernice would accept another grandchild into her family through marriage. I was blessed to have been accepted and loved by Maw Maw Bernice and she was so excited to finally have a granddaughter. I remember spending a lot of time in the kitchen with her learning how to cook. She was the grandmother that little girls look up to. She was a woman of incredible warmth, kindness and strength. She had a heart full of love and never hesitated to show it. She was not just a grandmother but a friend, someone I could turn to and a real inspiration. She taught me the value of hard work and compassion, and I will always be grateful for those lessons and the example she set.

In January 1998, Maw Maw Bernice would welcome another grandchild into her family, Jerome III (Trey) was born. Maw Maw Bernice once again lit up at the fact that she had another grandchild. She always thought of everything and was very creative. When Trey was a baby my mom and dad needed a babysitter. Maw Maw Bernice said “I can watch Trey but I need Wendy’s hair” Trey loved my mom’s hair and would twirl his fingers in her hair. We had these little recliners, and he found the stuffing underneath them and he would pull the stuffing out and rub it on his face. Maw Maw Bernice knew that was not good for his skin, so she came up with a brilliant idea. She gave Trey a cotton ball. That cotton ball would become Trey’s fuzzy and boy did he use those cotton balls for many years to follow. She would also worry about Trey as he grew up riding three wheelers. She would always tell him “Slow down!” She did not want to see him get hurt. Some of Trey’s fondest memories of my Maw Maw Bernice were when they would spend hours together, sitting on her porch swing, talking about life, love and everything in between. She had a way of making him feel understood and accepted, and he treasured those moments with her.

In November 2001, Maw Maw Bernice would become a grandmother to her fourth grandchild, Jacob. She was very excited to have another grandchild to love on and spoil. Jacob was a long-distance grandchild that she did not get to see as often but she was still a huge part of his life. He always cherished the moments they spent together whether via the phone calls or when Maw Maw Bernice would go to his house to visit. Maw Maw Bernice even attempted to play video games with him. Jacob will cherish all the time and laughter they spent and the memories they made together.

Maw- Maw Bernice had a huge heart full of love. I remember in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina was heading towards Louisiana and she opened up her home for all the family to take shelter. Those three weeks we all ate good because Maw Maw Bernice stayed in the kitchen cooking for everyone. She found passion in cooking. That passion led to many delicious meals gathered around the table as a family. Her passion also led to many wonderful memories of her teaching her grandchildren how to make those recipes to perfection. She never complained if we made a mess mixing the dough of Maw-Maw Rosie’s famous cookies. The memories and laughter in the kitchen made her overlook the flour we split all over the floor. Growing up with Maw Maw Bernice as a grandmother meant being spoiled and loved unconditionally. Weekends at Maw Maw Bernice’s house included playing the slot machine. She would always have a bucket of quarters. She would give us the bucket and we would play on the slot machine for hours. One time I hit the jackpot, I was young and did not know what was going on. Quarters were shooting out the bottom. Cody and I are looking at each other like OH NO we broke it. Maw Maw Bernice comes in the den and says “Who hit the jackpot?” I say, “I just put a quarter in and all these quarters started coming out” She says, “Babe, I am taking you to the casino.” Her hobbies included playing cards with her friends, bingo, and occasional trips to the casino to play on the slot machines. She admired Elvis Presley. She had tons of Elvis memorabilia. In her den she had an Elvis clock and an Elvis dancing lamp. On Mother’s Day, Wendy took Maw Maw Bernice and Miss Sandy to the Beau Rivage to see an Elvis impersonator. Elvis came to the table and gave Maw Maw Bernice the gold scarf around her neck. She was so excited her smile lit up the Beau Rivage!

In 2009, Maw Maw Bernice got a 3 for 1 deal with three new grandchildren (Mia, Michael, and Aiden). She was very excited to welcome 3 more grandchildren into the family. She had already mastered the skills of being a wonderful grandma to perfection! The Primeaux kids loved spending time at Maw Maw Bernice’s house. They spent most of their time in the pool with Maw Maw Bernice watching them while listening to the radio. The kids loved to pick flowers for Maw Maw and their mom. And of course, with three growing kids they would eat everything in sight and always cleaned out the freezer of Maw Maw’s ice cream and Paw Paw’s popsicles. The three kids will cherish their time and memories spent with Maw Maw Bernice. Maw Maw Bernice was surprised when Donna told her she was adopting three kids under 5 years old. She was worried Donna and John would not be able to handle such a big change. Maw Maw Bernice prayed for Donna and John and supported their decision. She was always there for them when they needed her. Donna does not think she could have raised the kids without her help!

Maw Maw Bernice was a devoted Catholic who attended church every Sunday. If she could not attend she would watch mass on TV. Her devotion to her faith made her the best person to call when something in life was going on. It did not matter if it was a good or bad situation. Whenever she found out she would say “Babe I am going to burn a candle.

In 2015, 2017, and 2019 Maw Maw Bernice would become a great grandmother. She was so surprised when I told her I was having kids. She would call me all the time and tell me how wonderful of a job I was doing as a parent. When Bryleigh was diagnosed with cancer she began praying everyday. We would talk 3 times a week and she would say “Girl I do not know how you are handling all of this.” I can say I handled it because of her prayers and phone calls. I will miss those random phone calls and voicemails “Brittany, it is Maw Maw Bernice, I am just thinking about you and the kids. Give me a call.”

The kind of love Maw Maw Bernice felt for us was love without condition. She may not have approved of everything we did, may not have liked some of the decisions we made, but she did not lecture or judge. She kept loving us, letting us know that she was there if we ever needed her, we could count on her to listen, to comfort and to help. It did not take much to make her happy- a phone call, a card, a visit, a kiss before saying good night. We were the most important people in the world to her. She lived to make our lives better and was proud of us.

I am sure we all hold a special memory in our hearts to show how truly caring she was. When I sat down to write this speech I thought of all the ways she showed my family how caring she was. Something led me to her obituary. As I read her obituary I found the perfect story to share with everyone. Donna Willie said “She was always so good to me growing up and when I worked at Winn Dixie she would always come by and say hello in the bakery. Well on this particular day I was having a horrible day because someone stole my 9 year old son, Cole’s bike. I was telling her the story and how upset he was and after she checked out, she came by to give me a big hug and put $100 bill in my pocket and said go buy Cole a new bike. Times were tough at that time, and I have been forever grateful for that.

Maw Maw Bernice had a huge, sweet tooth. The last few years of her life she would have an ice cream date with Paw Paw Jerry. (I hope she is eating all the ice cream in heaven right now.) She would sit on her favorite spot on the couch. She would look out her window at Jerry’s garden, her Blessed Mother statue, and observe the birds and ducks. She would get mad at Paw Paw Jerry is the bird feeder was empty so she made sure he filled the bird feeder everyday. That was Maw Maw Bernice always making sure everyone had food including animals.

As you can see, Maw Maw Bernice was an amazing woman and always made everyone feel welcome and loved. She will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. There are so many things that I could say about just how precious she was. I’m sure everyone here has memories much like mine. They are all good memories, something we’ll always have to cherish. It isn’t often in our lives that we come across someone so special that that person stays with us forever. Maw Maw Bernice was that kind of person.