Deaths Elsewhere

Music educator, ULL administrator
LAFAYETTE – Services will be Oct. 3 for music educator and principal Johnnie Zerangue, Jr. He died Sept. 29 at age 76.
He was a past president of the Southwest Louisiana Band Directors Association and his L.J. Alleman band was the first of that grade level to play on the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, Tenn. He was a former principal of Lafayette High and retired director of middle and secondary education for the Lafayette Parish School System.
After retiring from LPSS, he became assistant superintendent of the Columbus, Miss. school system and then was coordinator of field experience at ULL’s College of Education, where he helped hundreds of student teachers find classroom experience in the region.
Survivors include his wife Savannah, three sons and a daughter.
Arrangements are by Martin & Castille.

Baptist minister, All-American gridder
BATON ROUGE – Services are Oct. 4 for retired Baptist minister and former All-American football player John Downing, Sr. He died Sept. 26 at age 82 in Sherman, Texas.
he was named to the All-American Football Team while a player at Northwestern State in in 1954 and was named on of the school’s best 100 players in 2007, the centennial year of NSU football. He pastored several churches in Louisiana and owned a real estate business, before retiring as director of Mothe Funeral Home.
Survivors include his wife Jean and four children.

Teacher, coach
LAFAYETTE – Services will be Oct. 3 for teacher and coach Bobby Beene. He died Sept. 27 at his Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. residence.
He worked at schools in New Orleans, Covington, Crowley and New Iberia before joining Acadiana High, where he worked 23 years and was head basketball coach.
Survivors include his wife Jane and two children.

Sausage maker
IOTA – Services will be Oct. 2 for sausage company co-founder Winnie Coleman. She died Sept. 29 at age 95.
She and her late husband Howard founded Coleman Sausage 50 years ago and she was instrumental in building the company’s sales to the present level.
Survivors include two sons and a daughter.
Arrangements are by Geesey-Ferguson.

Catholic educator
HOLYOKE, Mass. – Services will be Oct. 2 for retired Catholic educator Sister Anne Poitras. She died Sept. 28 at age 84.
She served at many Sisters of St. Joseph of LePuy schools. She spent many years in Louisiana working with students with behavior disorders before becoming a pastoral assistant at St. Patrick Church, Ferriday. She was also a pastoral assistant at St. Clement Church, Plaquemine and later minister in senior services at St. John the Evangelist Church, Plaquemine until a few months ago.
Survivors include two sisters.
Arrangements are by Sampson Family Chapels.