Deirdre Burke Provosty

She was born to James Gibbons Burke and Mary Shea Burke on May 10, 1931 in New Orleans, LA, the oldest of 5 children.

She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Deirdre Provosty Jasmin and James “Jim” B. Jasmin of Atlanta, Michel “Mitch” O. Provosty, Jr. and Catharine “Cathy” Kehoe Provosty of Pensacola, and Jacqueline Provosty Guillot and Jacques Louis Guillot of Mandeville; 9 grandchildren: Matthew and William “Will” Jasmin, Michel “Mike” and Eleanor Provosty, Camille, Corinne “Coco”, Jacques, Shea, and Jean Guillot; and 2 siblings and their spouses: Sheela Burke Plater (David) and Sean Gibbons Burke (Ann); the wife of her late brother, Karla Burke; her brother-in-law, William “Bill” Hickey; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Michel “Mike” Olivier Otis Provosty; her brothers. James “Jimmy” Gibbons Burke and Peter Gibbons Burke; her parents, James and Mary Burke; her in-laws: Ruth “Ruthie” Nairne Burke, Virginia “Ginger” Friedrichs Burke, Ruth “Woogie” Provosty Taylor, Charles Daniel “CD” Taylor, Jacqueline “Quack” Provosty Avegno, Beauregard “Bugs” Bernard Avegno, and Andree Provosty Hickey.

She graduated high school from Georgetown Visitation Convent, a boarding school in her mother’s native Washington DC. She attended Newcomb College and then worked with her future sister-in-law, Jacqueline “Quack” Provosty Avegno, on the Times Picayune and States Item Society Section. She was a member of the Le Petit Salon, Junior League of New Orleans, Southern Yacht Club, a past member of the Orleans Club, and a past president of the Debutante Club. She married Mike Provosty on October 10, 1960.

Family and friends were her joy in life. She was the matriarch and caregiver of our family, the original Giving Tree. She was the primary caregiver of older relatives such as her aunt Nannan and her parents and the frequent caregiver of her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren. Whenever one of us was sick or recovering from surgery, she was there for us—traveling to those of us out of town, carpooling our kids, taking us to the doctor, feeding us, our spouses, and children, and overall making our lives work. She loved her friends, a close circle of women who spent their entire lives together, celebrating the good times and supporting each other through the difficult times. She was a child of the water; she loved to sail, go to the beach, and travel. As a native New Orleanian, she also liked a good party!

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial mass on Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans. Visitation will Begin at 9:00 a.m. Graveside service will follow the mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to the Catholic Charities of New Orleans, 1000 Howard Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70113.