Betty Jane Bergeron Schlater

Betty Jane Bergeron Schlater, age 83, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. Born in Walls, Louisiana on July 16, 1938, to the late Lester Leo Bergeron and Sophie Decuir Bergeron. Betty is preceded in death by her husband of 14 years, Wesley Louis Schlater. She is also preceded in death by her sister, Mary Belle Bergeron Williams and her brother, Wilton Bergeron, Sr.

Betty is survived by her daughters, Ann Louise Schlater, Lisa Marie Rivarde, Lynne Monica Schlater and Leah Schlater-Brown; grandchildren, Alfred Rivarde, Jr., Darrel Rivarde and Wesley V. Brown; great-grandchildren, Courban and Anaya; her sons-in-law, Alfred Rivarde, Sr., and Gregory V. Brown; sister, Conde Bergeron Bartlett; her brother, Kenith Bergeron; and a host of devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Betty’s warmth, charisma, knowledge of history, pride in her family, and megawatt smile would take hold of you immediately and never let you go. She was cool, funny, and thoughtful and she had “serious spunk”. If anybody was an oddball or didn’t fit in, Betty made it a point to befriend them. The lively jazz devotee, mother of four, and former aerospace quality control inspector died of complications from liver cancer.

She loved to tell stories about the City of New Orleans and document who and what she saw with photos. She cherished the camera she was given as a gift for Christmas when she was a child. After taking a photography class at the University of New Orleans, she became a self-appointed photographer for the family, music events, and her city. She never left the house without her camera as evidenced by volumes of photo albums and gigabytes of digital photos.

When asked what she loved about her hometown, she once replied, “the history, the music, the people, and the ‘alive’ feeling.” That feeling seemed to live in her too. Betty knew so much trivia about New Orleans, she was a contestant in the WGNO game show “N.O. It Alls” in 1995 (she came in second place). In bright outfits with a big smile, she enjoyed drinking café au lait and entertaining anyone who just dropped by her house in the Gentilly neighborhood. “People would just ring the bell and randomly show up. She would greet them with her New Orleans hospitality.”

Betty was a steward of her family history and a great resource for family members later in life. In a family history book, she wrote that most of her extended family had “long lives and were good cooks.” In 1987, Betty won the Times-Picayune recipe contest for her pork chops with raspberry sauce. She was known for loving gumbo, making eclectic à la Betty casseroles and baking delicious pineapple upside-down cake. On her mom’s side, the Decuir family liked to party and attend horse shows. On her dad’s side, the Bergeron family enjoyed games, drinking, dancing, and the Mardi Gras season.

Betty grew up on Coliseum Street. The neighborhood was like an extended family. As a child she loved gumdrops and her pet turtle. She grew up listening to the radio and later watching television—the family had the first television on the block. Her family listened and danced to big band, jazz, country, and Cajun music. They visited City Park, museums and attended the midnight all-black variety and vaudeville shows at the Palace Theater. The performers would let them in for free because Lester, her Dad, would repair their watches, jewelry, and guns for a discount at his jewelry shop on Magazine Street.

Raised Catholic, Betty attended Blessed Sacrament School and graduated from Xavier College Preparatory High School. After high school she attended Grambling State University. The Blessed Sacrament Church was the center of the family’s religious and social life. Betty was in the school choir and played the piano and the violin.

Betty was resilient. She worked at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility for more than twenty-five years. She contributed to the success of the Apollo 11 Mission in 1969 and the first manned orbital flight of the space shuttle in 1981. She inspected the space shuttle fuel tanks. Betty was passionate about her job. Her house is a testament to that, with NASA knick-knacks, space shuttles of every size—right down to the salt and pepper shakers—that commune with the turtle mementos she collected. She also took time for herself and once a month had a girl’s night out with her Runaway club members.

She retired in 2002, though, characteristically, she didn’t slow down. She volunteered at the WWOZ radio station. She was a board member of the New Orleans Jazz Federation Committee. She traveled, attended Mardi Gras balls, spent time with family, watched Jeopardy!, and socialized with neighbors on her porch.

Betty enjoyed fine dining and going to hole-in-the-wall restaurants. She would always find a jazz club to visit wherever she traveled. Favorite trips included Hawaii, Paris, London and visiting the Bergeron/ Decuir family members in Port Allen, LA.

She loved the poetry of Paul Laurance Dunbar and the writings of Langston Hughes as well as the music of B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Erma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Joe Williams and many more.

Her family extends a special thank you to everyone for their prayers and expressions of love. May God’s blessings of peace and love continue with you forever. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass, Rev. Michael M. Labre presiding, to be held at St. James Major Church, 3736 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70122 on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will begin at the church at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow the Mass at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support the jazz program of the University of New Orleans at: https://www.unoalumni.com/BettyMemorial. Betty was an avid fan of the program and its students. The family invites you to express your fond thoughts and condolences online at www.lakelawnmetairie.com.

Covid Requirements due to Covid levels in the City of New Orleans and CDC Guidelines:

Mass: Masks will be mandatory.

Repast: Please bring proof of at least one dose of a COVID vaccine or a negative PCR test within the last 72 hours to enter the restaurant venue. Masks will be mandatory.