Luis Isidro Ingles, Jr.

Luis Isidro Inglés, Jr. died on February 28, 2026, at home, where he wanted to be, surrounded by his wife and sons. He was a fun and loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather; an accomplished professional with a successful career; and a cherished advisor, friend and source of support to countless members of his extended family. He will be remembered most for the kindness, generosity and respect with which he treated everyone in his immediate and extended family, his friends, his professional colleagues and co-workers, and the countless others with whom he came into contact in his daily life. The eldest of four sons, Luis was preceded in death by his parents, Luis Isidro Inglés and Norma Rivera, and his three brothers: Robert, Steven and Andrew.

Luis was born in La Ceiba, Honduras, on May 31, 1942, and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12 to attend elementary school at St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi (he eventually became a U.S. citizen in 1969). After a rocky start, his time as a “Rock-a-Chaw” included active involvement and leadership in many aspects of student life including athletics, drama and student government. He graduated in 1960 as Senior Class President and was awarded the “Character Cup.” Luis was especially grateful to Brother Louis Joseph and Brother Jean for being such positive influences in his life.

After high school, Luis moved on to Loyola University in New Orleans, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Kappa fraternity and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree on June 2, 1964. Four days later, he married Linda Russo, the girl he met three years earlier at a Loyola sock hop, and over the next 6-1/2 years they had four sons: Luis III, David, Neil and Richard.

Following college, Luis joined the Bank of New Orleans and worked in their audit department for several years before moving to Pan-American Life Insurance Company in 1968, where he would spend the remaining 37 years of his professional career. He started at Pan-American as a securities analyst in the investment department; a couple of years later, he began managing the company’s investments in Latin America before assuming responsibility for the U.S. securities portfolio in 1976.

Luis thrived when given increased responsibility early in his career at Pan-American; he always embraced the chance to hop on a plane to go investigate firsthand the next intriguing investment opportunity, resulting in frequent trips to faraway places both in the U.S. and throughout Central and South America. As he took on more responsibility, he avidly kept himself focused and informed on the latest complex and innovative financial products emanating from Wall Street, and Pan-American became an early adopter of what are now some of the most commonplace financial instruments for insurance companies, including mortgage-backed securities and interest rate swap derivatives.

In 1992, Luis was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, the position he would hold at Pan-American until his retirement in 2005. In this capacity, in addition to his oversight of and responsibility for the investment assets of the company, he served as treasurer, managed the partnership that oversaw Pan-American’s ownership interest in the Hotel Inter-Continental in New Orleans and acted as trustee and investment committee chair for Pan-American’s defined benefit pension plan.

While ascending the ranks at Pan-American and co-parenting his four boys, Luis also continued to further his professional education while taking leadership roles in various insurance industry organizations. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans in 1971 and achieved his Certified Financial Analyst designation in 1974. He served as president of the Financial Analysts of New Orleans in 1982-1983, chaired the Southeastern Life Insurance Bond Association in 1985, and served on several ACLI Investment Committees and the LOMA Investment Committee. Also active in charitable endeavors, he led the efforts that established the fully endowed Class of 1960 Scholarship at St. Stanislaus College, and he also fully endowed the Linda and Luis Inglés Family Scholarship at Jesuit High School.

Affectionately known as “Spud” on his parents’ side of the family, Luis deeply valued family and was known and cherished for his constant generosity and support to – as well as his genuine interest in and concern for – everyone in his extended family. Nothing was more important to him than the happiness and well-being of his sons and their respective families and loved ones and the time he spent with them. And he was rarely more comfortable and “in his element” than when hosting or attending a crowded gathering of Inglés and/or Russo family members and friends.

Luis was an active parishioner and parent at St. Catherine of Siena in Metairie, where his sons attended elementary school: he coached his boys’ indoor ball teams during the summers, was sous chef for the Taco booth at the annual school fair, acted as a scout group leader, and served on St. Catherine’s parish council. His sons learned self-discipline and commitment at an early age when he would wake them up before sunrise to drive them to church for altar boy duty at 6:30 a.m. Mass.

His grandchildren have fond memories of all the time he spent with them: weekly dinner nights at “Grammy and Popi’s” that included cheering their regular “All That Jazz” performances; their annual family summer vacations to Navarre Beach; helping them with their Spanish homework; rigorously interviewing him for their school family history projects; teaching them how to drive and how to play golf; and being there for all of the big moments in their lives including their numerous graduations.

Luis is survived by his wife of 61 years and their four sons; four grandchildren: Luis III’s children, Alison Killebrew (John Nolan) and Nicholas, and David’s children, Matthew and Rebecca; and two great-grandchildren: Sadie Davis Killebrew and John Shepard Killebrew. He will be greatly missed by all of them.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 105 Bonnabel Boulevard (at Metairie Road) on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. A visitation will be held at the church beginning at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow the mass in Metairie Cemetery.

Donations may be made in Luis’s memory to the St. Stanislaus Class of 1960 Scholarship and to the Linda and Luis Inglés Family Scholarship at Jesuit High School.