Patricia Ann Smith Michot

A memorial Mass will be held Thursday, April 14, 10:00 a.m., at Sacred Heart Church in Broussard, for Patricia Ann Smith Michot who passed away peacefully at her home in Lafayette on Monday, April 11, 2011, surrounded by family and loved ones. Patricia was born on March 2, 1926, in Patterson, St. Mary Parish, to William Bathe Smith and Rita Maria Marin. She was born and raised along the banks of the lower Atchafalaya River where her father managed Idlewild Farms (dairy cattle and sugar cane) for Gen. Kemper Williams. She graduated valedictorian of the Class of 1942 at Patterson High School, where she also played tennis, a sport that became a lifelong passion. She attended Southwest Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, was selected as V-12 Sweetheart by the V-12 cadets, and graduated with a degree in home economics in 1946. She married Louis J. Michot Jr., in September 1946 and they settled in Lafayette, where they resided until her death, with the exception of two years in Annandale, Va., (1956-1958), when Louis worked in Washington, D.C. Patricia was a beautiful and congenial woman who was loved and embraced by all who knew her. Her home was the center of bustling activity where her husband and her 10 children always generated a swarm of comings and goings. She welcomed all to her abode with style, grace, and flair, and they left longing to visit again soon. She raised her children to be polite, to respect other people, to leave things like you found them, to eat all the food on your plate, and to use what you have before buying anything new. Patricia worked as a teacher in St. Landry Parish, as a home service agent for Louisiana Power & Light Co. out of Donaldsonville, and she worked various positions for her husband's numerous businesses, including Lafayette Drive-In Theatre and Burger Chef Restaurants of Lafayette. She served as secretary of Louis J. Michot and Associates, and of Michot Family LLC. She was active in various civic groups and community programs, including the Red Jackets, UL Alumni Association, Tennis Association of Lafayette Ladies, Les Chenes de Rotisseries, Les Amis, as a volunteer cook for Faith House, Cajun Ski Club and International Good Neighbor Council. She was honored as the outstanding alumnus of the University of Southwestern Louisiana, College of Agriculture, in 1968. She was an avid tennis player and she played four or five days per week as long as her health allowed, after which she continued to celebrate each week's tennis victories during a weekly lunch at La Fonda with the Secret Sewing Society. She was a prolific artist and produced about 75 paintings between 1965 and 1985. She enjoyed attending ULL football and basketball games, and even when she was wheelchair bound, Pat and Louis were a permanent fixture in the stands above the 50-yard line or above the center court line. Patricia was preceded in death by her parents; by two daughters, Carolyn Rose Michot and Yvette Marie Michot; by one grandchild, Ruth Reaux; and by three brothers, William Bathe Smith Jr., Donald Charles Smith, and Ralph Smith. She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Louis Joseph Michot Jr.; eight children: Marilyn Ann Michot Breaux (husband Steve Breaux), Patrick Louis "Rick" Michot Sr. (wife Suzanne Lafleur Michot), Thomas Claud Michot (wife Katharine Meleton Michot), David Luke Michot (wife Colette Conway Michot), Timothy Paul Michot (wife Pam Herring Michot), Robert James Michot (wife Beatrice Guwang Michot), Michael John Michot (wife Monique Broussard Michot), and Yvonne Marie Michot (husband Randy Reaux); 19 grandchildren, Jim Keating (wife Tracey), Sean Keating (wife Bridgett), Rebecca Keating, Chris Keating, Patrick Michot Jr., Joline Michot, Andre Michot (wife Heather), Louis Michot (wife Ashlee), Katharine Michot, Effie Michot, Kayla Michot, Timothy Michot, Noemie Michot, Rosalie Michot, Mikie Michot, Mary Carolyn Michot, Jesse Reaux, Asher Reaux, Daniel Reaux; and four great-grandchildren: Christina Keating, Jaime Keating, Ayler Keating Louviere, and Julien Michot; by one sister, Effie Jane Smith Evans, of Crockett, Texas; and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 13, at Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m., with a rosary to be recited at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will continue at Sacred Heart Church in Broussard Thursday morning at 8 a.m. until the time of the service, and there will be a reception following the service in the Parish Life Center at Sacred Heart Church in Broussard. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Michot Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Acadiana, 1035 Camellia Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70508, www.cfacadiana.org. The obituary can be viewed and condolences can be posted to the guestbook at www.delhommefuneralhome.com.