Major Joseph N. Ortego

Major Joseph “Nelson” Ortego, a native of Ville Platte and a resident of Central, LA, passed away on June 13, 2025, at his home. He was 91. He was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and was also a member of the St. Alphonsus Knights of Colombus. He retired from the Baton Rouge Police Department in 1993, after 37 years of service. He was a former member of the Fraternal Order of Police. He taught for 15 years in the parish school of religion. He played “Santa” for Dreams Come True, St. Isidore Catholic School, and KC Christmas parties. He was bilingual, speaking both English and French (Cajun). In his police career, he was a fingerprint expert, was Captain of Precincts, Captain of Records, and was Major of the Police Academy. He was Head of Police Memorial Services, President of the Police Honor Fund, and was in charge of police security on the field at LSU for 22 years. His hobbies included comic books and watching DVDs of old westerns and war movies. He loved cruising, taking road trips, and traveling on pilgrimages in France and Italy. He is survived by his wife of 36 years and 11 months, Carol “Marlene” Ortego of Central; his son, Andrew “Blake” Ortego (Lisa) of Wake Forest, NC; daughter, Monice Ol Oliphant (Joe) of Zachary, LA; grandson, Colton Ortego (Candace) of Raleigh, NC and their children: Sofie, Addie, and Jamie; granddaughter, Valarie Larsen (Ian) of Seattle, WA and their children: Amelia and Evie; granddaughter, Kayla Oliphant; granddaughter, Michelle Baker (Kenny) of Zachary, LA and their children: Jaycee (Michael) of Corpus Christi and their son Jack and Kaycee and her children Kayden and Klayten; and granddaughter, Peggy Bouquet of Central and her children: Allyson, Rage, Kingston, and Christina. He is preceded in death by his father, Alcide Ortego III; his mother, Vivian Deville; sister, Verna Mae O. Arnaud; and brother-in-law, Ashton Arnaud. Visitation will be on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church 9:30am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30am, celebrated by Rev. Jason Palermo. Committal service will be on Friday, June 20, 2025, at Louisiana National Cemetery at 2pm. Memorial contributions would be appreciated to either: Companions of St. Anthony or Sisters of Charity.