Nora was born on the open plain of Point Noir, near Eunice in rural St. Landry Parish to Eugene and Laura Comeaux LeDoux on January 23, 1927. She spoke fondly of growing up in a much simpler time, during the Great Depression, when life was tough but formative. Nora loved to tell stories of her time with siblings, cousins, and family friends, particularly during her teenage years. She spoke of the hardships the family endured during her childhood, and she would tell you that those hardships prepared her for challenging times in later life. Her father was a tenant farmer and school bus driver, and the two occupations intersected when the family would take her father’s Route 34 school bus to Eunice on Saturday nights to shop for weekly supplies and to allow the children to “walk the boulevard” during Saturday evening social time.
Family meant everything to her. She loved cooking Sunday lunches and watching Saints games with her children and their ever-growing families. She was an avid sports fan, and before her health began to decline, she could be found on Friday nights in the Fall watching her beloved Welsh Greyhounds from the upper corner of South Side general admission seating with her game program in hand. In spite of her toughness, she was one of the sweetest, most caring individuals to grace us all for the nearly 95 years she was on this earth, and her impact on our family and those who knew her will continue for generations.
Nora is survived by her eight loving children and their spouses; Dan (Nancy) Daniels of Portland, OR, John (Julie) Pickle of Welsh, Mike (Jeany) Pickle of Sanford, FL, Wayne (the late Debbie) Pickle of Westlake, Barbara Pickle of Welsh, Terry (Dorlena) Pickle of Sulphur, Donald (Christy) Pickle of Welsh and Kenneth “Skipper” (Laurie) Pickle of Kinder; 20 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren.
Nora is preceded in death by her parents Eugene & Laura Comeaux LeDoux, as well as her stepmother Doris Brown LeDoux; her late former husband Andrew Pickle; her brothers Elzia, Rhinus and Harry Lee LeDoux; her sisters Joyce Farraro, Betty Casillas and Sophie Garcia; her daughters-in-law Luana Leilani and Debbie Pickle; and her grandson Ryan Pickle.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Welsh on Friday, January 21, 2022, at 11:00am, with Father Keith Pellerin and Deacon Wayne Chapman officiating. Visitation will be at First Baptist Church in Welsh on Thursday, January 20, 2022, from 4:00pm until 8:00pm, with a recitation of the Holy Rosary at 6:30pm, led by the Catholic Daughters. Visitation will resume at First Baptist Church in Welsh on Friday, from 9:00am until the procession to Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Welsh for an 11:00am Mass. Burial will follow at Oaklawn Cemetery.
Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.hixsonwelsh.com.
