Martel celebrates 100th Birthday

Viola Elizabeth Latiolais Martel of Eunice celebrated her 100th birthday on Feb. 20 at Rocky’s Restaurant, at a party given by her children, with family and friends.
Martel was born on February 20, 1916, in Cecelia. She was the daughter of Overne and Ida Dupuis Latiolais, also from Cecelia, and was the fourth of 12 children. Her siblings were: Allen, Irene, Howard, Clyde, Andrew, Chester, Lucy, Bernice and Berdie, (twins), Cliffton and Herbert. Her only remaining sibling is Lucy, who is 94.
Martel was married to the late Hubert Martel and had three children: Sylvia Martel Boyér, married to Irvin Boyér of Eunice, Clarence Martel of Brunswick, Georgia, and Richard Martel, married to Ann Reynaud of Conroe, Texas. She has 10 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great (and counting), grandchildren.
As a young woman, Martel grew up on the family farm where she worked hard in the fields along with her siblings until she met and married her husband, Hubert Martel in 1937, and moved to Eunice.
She loved being a wife, mother, and homemaker and in later years, when all three children were grown and gone, she developed a passion and talent for making quilts and has made well over 200 hundred quilts. She made her last quilt in 2015 at age 99.
Martel attributes her longevity to hard work.