Ora-Westley Cady

Ora-Westley "Wes" Cady, Ph.D.

Lafayette - A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, August 18, 2014 at The First Presbyterian Church in Lafayette at 11:00 AM, for Ora-Westley "Wes" Cady, Ph.D., 78, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 14, 2014 at Lafayette General Medical Center. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall at the church for all family and friends.

Reverend Zackary Sasser of The First Presbyterian Church will conduct the Celebration of Life.

Ora-Westley "Wes" Cady, Ph.D. was born in Mohrsville, Pennsylvania on December 12, 1935. She was the daughter of Oro and Dorothy Schwemmer.



She was married to Joseph Cady, preceded in death. She is survived by a sister, Marjorie-Faith Holler of Bala, Cynwyd, PA and a step-brother, Lewis De Laura of Gardner, Colorado. Sister in law, Rhonda De Laura; 2 nieces, Wendy Wintersgille and Katie Holler; 1 nephew Roger Holler; and 2 great nieces, Becca Borland and Emily-Kate Wintersgill. Her care giving family, Lisa, Kim and Katie Baudoin; her adopted grand children, Jessica and Kathryn Turner and last but not least, her true and beloved circle of friends.



Wes received a B.A. degree from Ursinus College and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Tulane University. She taught history at USL from 1963 until she retired in 1996. Her specialty was Latin American history. A firm believer in life-long learning, Wes audited many courses after her retirement especially in the field of humanities. Wes was active in many campus organizations including Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Beta Delta, Delta Kappa Gamma, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Pi Gamma Mu, Sigma Delta Pi, Alpha Psi Omega, the American Association of University Professors, and Faculty Senate. She served as Executive Officer of Faculty Senate from 1995 to 1997. She was also very active in the Friends of the Humanities organization both before and after retirement. Wes was also active in national organizations especially the American Association of University Women, including Jane Adams Conference, in which she held many local, state and national offices. She served as President of the Virginia Gildersleeve Fund from 1996 to 1999. This group funded projects world-wide for women's education, skills training, and community development. Other national organizations in which Wes held offices include Pi Gamma Mu, the Southern Historical Association, the American Historical Association, and the Southeastern Conference of Latin American Studies. Wes was also a long-time member of the board of the Lafayette Public Library Foundation. In 2007 she received the President's Award from the Foundation. Wes loved to travel. She traveled extensively in Europe and Latin America for historical research. She visited Cuba several times after retirement on humanitarian trips. She spent six months in China teaching English. Her last overseas trip was when she went with Chorale Acadienne to the Czech Republic in 2003. Wes was very active in church work. She served as parliamentarian for the Presbytery of South Louisiana, PCUSA. She was also a member in the National Association of Parliamentarians. She served on many presbytery committees. She was an elder at First Presbyterian Church, Lafayette. Wes also had a great love of the opera. She was a member of the Krewe of Opera Nuts.

Wes touched so many lives throughout her very blessed life, with memories that will carry on and be shared by so many.

She will truly be missed~

We love you, Wes Cady….

In lieu of flowers the Cady Family request donations to be made to the charity of your choice.

View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com

Martin & Castille-DOWNTOWN-330 St. Landry St., Lafayette, LA 70506, 337-234-2311