Charles "Pete" Savoye

Charles "Pete" Savoye, born May 24, 1930, died peacefully in his home on Sunday, December 29, 2013, at the age of 83. He was the beloved husband of Janice Blue Savoye for 64 years and father of Kathy Rougelot (Eldon), Sandra Dartus-Horwitz (Alan), Shelly DiMaggio (Joe) and Steve Savoye (Tammy), and grandfather of Michelle Rougelot, Monica Kiefer, Tracy Helwig, Joe DiMaggio, Jr., Jason DiMaggio, Julie Eades, Holli Kipker, Rusty Kipker, Steven Savoye and Kaitlin Savoye. He also leaves behind 18 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was the son of the late Elveisha Lemoine Savoye and Henry Savoye, and brother of Marguerite "Buddie" Perkins, and the late Elveisha "Sis" Voelker, Marie Ricouard, Ethel Graff and Louise Duplantier. A native New Orleanian and graduate of Francis T. Nicholls High School, "Pete" moved to Chalmette in 1953 and was employed as a carpenter at Kaiser for 29 years. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved to fish and hunt and make people laugh with his jokes. He was president of the St. Bernard Sportsmen's League for 18 years, a member of the advisory committee for Coastal Zone Management for 16 years, and a St. Bernard inspector for seismic exploration for 4 years. He worked tirelessly for more than a quarter of a century to prevent erosion of marshlands in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, at one time organizing a blockade of boats to prevent large commercial ships from passing through. He was a staunch advocate for the closure of MR-GO and spent countless hours addressing the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the St. Bernard Parish Council, local and national public officials and news media in an effort to make them aware of the impending disaster and massive flooding that would befall St. Bernard and lower Orleans Parishes should a storm surge enter the Ship Channel. The model that he used for presentations to officials and community groups was donated to the Louisiana State Museum and is displayed in the Cabildo as part of the Katrina exhibit. Despite Pete Savoye's efforts, he did not persuade the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the little-used shortcut to the Gulf. He lost his home to the flooding caused by the MR-GO levee breaches and moved to Covington where he lived until his death. The Corps closed the waterway in 2009. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation to be held at St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home, 701 W. Virtue Street, Chalmette, LA on Saturday, January 4, 2014, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by a Funeral Mass beginning at 12:00 pm. Burial will follow in St. Bernard Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation c/o www.saveourlake.org. To sign and view the Family Guestbook, please visit www.stbernardmemorial.com.