Arthur Robert Brazda

Funeral services will be held at a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, February 8, 2007, in the Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers in Lafayette, for Arthur Robert Brazda, 83, who died Saturday at 4:20 p.m. at the Doctors Hospital in Opelousas. The Rev. Martin Borcherding, Pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Lafayette, will be Celebrant of the Mass and conduct the funeral services. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Mary Jean Fitzsimmons Brazda; three sons, Steven James Brazda and his fianc'e, Lucia Schatzle, of Parks, Michael Robert Brazda and his wife, Wanda, of Arnaudville, and Scott Anthony Brazda and his wife, Suzanne, of Lafayette; one daughter, Mary Lynn Halderman and her husband, Ron, of Billings, Montana; one sister, Muriel Crocker of Fargo, North Dakota; seven grandchildren, Stephanie Jo Brazda Brown, Dr. Amy Claire Brazda, Zachary Arthur Brazda, Cara Nell Halderman, Christopher Robert Halderman, Leah Marie Halderman, and Sophia Marie Brazda; and two step-grandchildren, Colby Joseph Melvin and Tyler James Moehring. He was preceded in death by his parents, Anton and Thelma Brazda of Mandan, North Dakota. Mr. Brazda was born March 30, 1923, in Mandan, North Dakota. During World War II, he served our country in the U.S. Navy as a carrier pilot in the Pacific. He remained active in the U.S. Naval Reserves until his retirement as Commander. He attended Montana State University, where he earned a Bachelors degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Wildlife Management. After graduation in 1951, Mr. Brazda worked as a big game biologist in both Nevada and North Dakota, the latter of which saw him play a key role in the reintroduction of bighorn sheep and antelope. In 1957, Mr. Brazda began a 38 year association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, studying wolves in Alaska and migratory waterfowl in Minnesota and the Dakotas. In 1962, he moved to Lafayette, and as a pilot and flyway biologist, soon became one of the nation's leading authorities on ducks and geese in the Mississippi Flyway, a region extending from the prairie provinces of Canada to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Special Projects involved extensive study of the Whooping Crane in Canada and Snow Geese in the lower Mississippi Flyway. Utilizing his unique skills of pilot and biologist, he developed several strategies for the study of waterfowl populations and habitat management, and his work took north to the Artic, and as far south as Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Through his aerial surveying and banding of waterfowl wintering along the Gulf coast, Mr. Brazda worked closely with biologists from numerous state wildlife agencies, the Canadian Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited. After his retirement in 1995, Mr. Brazda spent the next six years supervising a federal and state Central Flyway banding project in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. He was a member of Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Mandan-Bismarck Elks Club, the National Turkey Federation, the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Legion. Mr. Brazda's greatest joys were his family, hunting and fishing, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, Ragin' Cajuns basketball and Labrador Retrievers. Visitation will be Wednesday at Delhomme Funeral Home, from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and will continue Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. until time of services. A rosary will be held Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Donations identified for the 'Art Brazda Waterfowl Memorial' will be used to protect waterfowl habitat, in the form of perpetual easements, in Art's home state of North Dakota. Contributions can be mailed to Steve Brazda, 1020 True Friend Road, St. Martinville, La. 70582. Personal condolences may be sent to the Brazda family at www.delhommefuneral home.com. Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette is in charge of funeral arrangements.