Ronald J. Hebert

Born in New Orleans to Leon Keller Hebert and Pearl Pollet Hebert, Ron grew up in Metairie and was a proud 1962 graduate of Jesuit High School. His connection to Jesuit remained important throughout his life, and even in his final years, he looked forward to Thursday morning breakfasts with fellow Jesuit alumni and longtime friends.

Ron graduated from Loyola University School of Dentistry in 1966, where he was a member of the C. Victor Vignes Honor Society and was recognized in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Following graduation, Ron served in the United States Navy, attaining the rank of Captain and spending two years stationed in San Diego. He was then accepted into the highly competitive orthodontic graduate program at the University of Illinois in Chicago. At a time when orthodontic programs were few and none existed in the South, his acceptance was an accomplishment of which he remained immensely proud.

After completing his orthodontic training in 1971, Ron built a long and successful career as an orthodontist, practicing in New Orleans, Metairie, and Thibodaux. He was deeply proud of his profession and the many years he spent caring for his patients.

Ron made his home in Thibodaux, Louisiana, for many years, where he built a custom home and established lasting roots in the community. He treasured the friendships he made there, including the close relationships he shared with his staff, and looked back on his years in Thibodaux with great fondness.

A lifelong Catholic, Ron’s faith was an important and enduring part of his life. While living in the French Quarter, he became deeply involved at St. Louis Cathedral, serving as an usher, Eucharistic minister, lector, and tour guide. His Catholic faith and his love of New Orleans and its history came together naturally in his service to the Cathedral. In 2014, the Archdiocese of New Orleans honored Ron with the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion in recognition of his extraordinary service to the Church. In the final chapter of his life, he was a parishioner of Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mandeville, where attending Sunday Mass with his daughter Angelle was a treasured part of his week.

Ron had an abiding love for New Orleans and Louisiana history and an impressive knowledge of the people, places, architecture, and stories that shaped his hometown and state. Photography was an early passion, and among his most historically significant photographs were those he took of his father’s childhood home, Welham Plantation, an antebellum estate near Convent along the Mississippi River. His photographs preserved a visual record of the historic property before it was destroyed in 1978.

Ron also had a lifelong appreciation for New Orleans food and its culinary traditions. He particularly loved Muriel’s and Antoine’s in New Orleans, Drago’s in Metairie, and, more recently, Bistro Byronz in Mandeville, where he regularly shared meals with family and friends. When his daughters were young, he loved taking Angelle and Kristen to the French Quarter and City Park, often stopping at Bud’s Broiler along the way, sharing with them his affection for the city and its traditions.

Above all, Ron loved his family. He shared an especially close bond with his daughters and took tremendous pride and joy in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of the most enduring ways he expressed his love was through handwritten notes and cards. He remembered birthdays, graduations, weddings, and other milestones, but needed no special occasion to put pen to paper. He often wrote simply to say he was thinking of someone, that he was proud of them, or that he had noticed something worth celebrating. Those handwritten words will remain treasured reminders of his love for his family.

Ron is survived by his daughters, Angelle Hebert Lyman (Marc) and Kristen Hebert Nelson (Christian); his grandchildren, Kemper Lyman (Madelyn), Katie Lyman, Kolbe Nelson, Anders Nelson, and Sophia Nelson; his great-grandchildren, Liam Hodges and Walker Lyman; and his siblings, Katharine “Kathy” Hebert Thompson, Tommy Hebert, and David Hebert. He also remained a dear friend to his former wife, Barbara Hebert, with whom he shared his daughters and many years of family memories.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leon Keller Hebert and Pearl Pollet Hebert, and his brothers, Daniel Hebert and Leon “Keller” Hebert, Jr.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 2:00PM. A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 12:30PM. The interment will follow the Mass at All Saints Mausoleum in Metairie Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Ronald's memory to Our City, Our Cathedral Campaign, www.ourcityourcathedral.org, supporting the historic restoration and preservation of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, or to Jesuit High School, www.jesuitnola.org.