Betty E. Lindsey

Betty Ellender Lindsey, a devoted and loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, was welcomed into her heavenly home on September 25th, 2015. She was 89 years young. Born in Bourg, La., on October 26th, 1925, to Henry and Jessie Ellender, Betty grew up in Houma as the youngest of nine children. Betty was proud to be a drum majorette at LSU, graduating with a degree in Education. She married her "football star", Clyde Lindsey, on December 28th, 1946. For their honeymoon, they went to the 1947 Sugar Bowl with the entire LSU football team. Betty devoted her life to being a homemaker, and what a home she made "“ one based on a strong Catholic faith and unconditional love. Betty, or Mimi as most people knew her, was an excellent cook who enjoyed preparing "beautiful" roasts and "good looking" gumbos. She was still preparing her famous corn bread dressing for our most recent holidays together. There was always something good to eat at Mimi's. Mimi never met a stranger - everyone was darling, sweetie or sugar. She had a genuine concern for those less fortunate and was very charitable. She reveled at every accomplishment of her children and grandchildren and loved to reminisce about the good old days growing up in Houma. She treasured looking over the 100-year-old oaks that surrounded their trailer at "The Place" in Montegut, only a few miles from where she was born. In 1978, she and Clyde started an orange grove that grew to over 350 trees. She enjoyed fishing and crabbing at Grand Isle and going to their camp at False River, always stopping to let us sample sugar cane and pick maypops along the way. Mimi truly enjoyed nature and the simplest of life's blessings could put a smile on her face. Mimi loved her family more than life itself. Never was this more evident than during holidays at the Lindsey home on Richland Avenue where there was always enough food to feed a small army at Thanksgiving. Christmas was a gift extravaganza "“ you never knew if it was a real gift or a gag one, yours or someone else's, this year's gift or one she had found from last year. These are all special memories that will never fade. Her smile and corny jokes, her unselfishness and compassion, her kindness and honesty will be sorely missed. Visitation will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home on 825 Government Street on Tuesday, September 29th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM and also on Wednesday, September 30th, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 11:00 o'clock. Entombment will take place at a later date at St. Francis de Sales Cemetery in Houma. Betty is survived by her husband of 68 years, Clyde, her children and their spouses: Dr. Stephen Lindsey, wife Joyce and son Kevin and Steve's children Ashley and Brandon; Larke Guercio and her children Matthew, Stephen, Nicholas and Lindsey; Judy Determann, husband Mike and their children Greg, Jason and Trent; Robin Sanchez, husband Allan and their children Erick and Rusty. Also left to remember her are the loving spouses of her grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, friends and one very spoiled kitty, "Buddy Boy". She is preceded in death by her parents Jessie Chauvin and Henry Jefferson Ellender; sisters Gertrude Elissalde, Lucille Beauvois, Jeanette Kennedy, Marie Richard Miller and Jessie Henchy; and brothers Harold, Henry and Rudolph Ellender. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Lauren Savoy Olinde Foundation or The Arthritis Foundation. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you and you shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever". Until we meet again, Mimi, you will always be in our hearts.