Charles Doerr Lancaster Jr.

Charles Doerr Lancaster Jr., 74, died at his home of a heart attack on August 17, 2018. Charles had a keen intellect, a larger than life personality, an incredible sense of humor, a hallmark laugh, and a love of good times with family and friends.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Charles attended Holy Name of Jesus and graduated from Jesuit High School where he was a member of its 1960 state championship football team. He was the 1961 state champion in the high hurdles and selected as the Outstanding Athlete of the Year by his alma mater. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana-Lafayette) on a track scholarship and was president of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He graduated from Loyola Law School where he was a member of the Law Review.

Charles grew up spending summers in Pass Christian, where his love for fishing and being on the water captured him and he was “hooked” from then on. Through the years, fishing was a staple in his life and provided some of his fondest memories with family and dear friends. When Charles wasn’t on the water, one could find him at the “OTB” playing the ponies. He was an inaugural Saints ticket holder at Tulane Stadium and 52 years later was looking forward to attending games with his children this season.

He practiced law for over forty years and was especially proud of his twenty-two years of service in the Louisiana Army National Guard, retiring as a Major.

During law school, a chance encounter with former legislator John Hainkel on a train going to the LSU–Tulane football game led to work in Hainkel’s law office and a 1971 run for the state legislature. And the rest, as they say, is history…Louisiana history.

In 1972, he became the first Republican state lawmaker elected from Jefferson Parish since Reconstruction and represented Metairie in the Louisiana State House of Representatives for 32 years.

In many ways, Charles embodied the ethos of his political generation — he valued relationships and respect over partisanship. Throughout his life, he maintained close friendships with people of all backgrounds and political affiliations. He was blessed to be supported both professionally and personally by his amazing “assistants”: June Peay, Kathy Eldridge, Rubye Noble, Shirley Bowler, Trish Lowrey and Vera Olds while his “House of Blues” family embodied his zest for life and a great party.

A lifelong passionate conservative, Charles was the longest serving Republican in the Louisiana Legislature and also played a lead role in building the Republican Party in Jefferson Parish and across Louisiana. He chaired the influential House and Governmental Affairs Committee for 12 years under two governors — one a Republican and one a Democrat — expertly navigating the high-octane waters of elections, campaign finance, open meetings, public records, and redistricting and reapportionment. Colleagues in both parties knew that, despite any political differences between them, they could always take Charles at his word. For these and many other personal and professional accomplishments, he was inducted into the 2018 Class of the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame.

Charles was a member of numerous social, community, and charitable organizations. He was admired for what he accomplished for his Party, appreciated for his service to Jefferson Parish and Louisiana, and beloved because of the person he was.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Edith “Patches” Shannon Lancaster, and his parents, Charles D. Lancaster Sr. and Helen Stafford Lancaster. He is survived by his two children, daughter Edith Helen “Dee Dee” Lancaster and son Charles D. Lancaster III; a brother, William Bradford Lancaster (Suzy); two sisters, Helen Lancaster Bailey (Neil) and Marjorie Lancaster

Crowell (Mark); a niece, Blair Redfield Lancaster; his brothers-in-law; George William Shannon, Jr.(Janet), Robert MacKinnon Shannon, Jon O’Hara Shannon (Roman), James Cahill Shannon (Jill); his grand-little dude, Duncan Stewart Wallace; and a large family of cousins.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 24th, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans. A funeral Mass will follow at noon. Remembrances can be shared at www.lakelawnmetairie.com. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in his name to Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks St., New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 or online at www.jesuitnola.org or to the Alzheimer’s Association online at https://act.alz.org.