Saeviel "Mac" Lee McDaniel

Saeviel was born and raised in Pine Prairie, Louisiana. He was a graduate of Pine Prairie High School. Saeviel was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Korean War. He retired from Schlumberger after 33 years of service. After retirement he worked for the Lagniappe magazine for 20 years.

Saeviel never missed an opportunity to make someone laugh. Whether he broke into song or pulled someone aside to tell a joke, seeing joy in others illuminated his spirit. He was Cajun through and through, growing up on the prairies of Evangeline Parish and speaking Cajun French as his first language. It was not until he attended Pine Prairie School that he learned to speak English. When Saeviel was not working or spending time with his family, one could find him doing an array of activities he enjoyed, from hunting quail and duck or training bird dogs, to trying his luck at the slot machines at Coushatta. He also loved and took pleasure in visits from his grandchildren and great grandchildren, who always knew to go to him for the goodness of a Hershey’s Kiss or the soothing calm of the “treatment” of a scraped knee. Everyone in his family could expect a call from him every year on their birthdays, his hearty voice carrying the tune of Happy Birthday as he placed his own personal touches on the rendition. Saeviel loved his children and enjoyed spending time with them, but his wife, Connie came before all else. She was the love of his life for 62 years.

Survivors include his loving wife, Connie McDaniel; son, Mike McDaniel and wife, Ruth Anne of Moss Bluff; daughters, Charmaine Pousson and husband, Nelson of Cove, TX, Donna Britain and husband, Morris of Moss Bluff, Jo Ann Allen and husband, John of Calhoun, LA and Jill Sheridan and husband, David of Santa Rosa Beach, FL; brother, Larry McDaniel and wife, Glynn of Foley, AL; 9 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lee and Bertha Ortego McDaniel; brother, Harry McDaniel; and sister, Icy Mae West and grandson, Chad Pousson.

Visitation will be from 4pm to 8pm with a rosary at 6pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 and will resume on Wednesday from 9am until service time at Hixson Funeral Home of Lake Charles. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11am on Wednesday at St. Margaret’s Catholic Church. Reverend William Miller will officiate. Entombment will be at Consolata Cemetery. The family would like to give a special thank you to Memorial Home Health and Home Instead for the wonderful care they provided for their loved one, also Dr., Thompson and Dr. Micah LeLeux. Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.hixsonfuneralhomes.com.