Josephine Aurora Ruiz Piccione

Mrs. Josephine Aurora Ruiz Piccione

Lafayette - With regards to the COVID19 mandates, attendance will be limited to 10 persons or less at one time and A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date.

Private Graveside Services will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 3:00 PM in St. John Cemetery in Lafayette for Mrs. Josephine Aurora Ruiz Piccione, 91, who died at 10:15 AM on Monday, March 30, 2020 at Cornerstone Village South in Lafayette. A private Rosary will be prayed at Martin & Castille Funeral Home on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 2:00 PM. The family would like to invite any of her friends and family to pray a Rosary in the privacy of your home, due to the Covid-19 mandates.

Interment will be in St. John Cemetery.

The Very Reverend Chester C. Arceneaux, VF, Rector of Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, will conduct the funeral services.

She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on November 26, 1928. At an early age she and her parents moved to Alexandria, Louisiana where she was raised. Her parents are Augustine Ruiz, Sr. and Josephine E. Ruiz, both natives of Mexico.

Her first language was Spanish. When she entered the 1st grade in grammar school, and then was ready to be promoted to the 2nd grade. Her teachers were concerned because of the language difference. She did go into the 2nd grade, finished grammar school, and graduated from Bolton High School. Josephine then went on to attend S.L.I in Lafayette and graduated from the college of Liberal Arts with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree. She worked as a part-time teacher in Alexandria, LA. Josephine and her mother were very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe and made many trips by train from Alexandria to Mexico City to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. While there they visited with relatives and friends in Celaya and in the surrounding area of the state of Guanajuato.

Josephine and Joseph S. Piccione were first introduced to each other on March 2, 1964, and after two weeks, Joseph said he knew she was the one. They courted for two years between Alexandria, Josephine's Home, and Lafayette, Joseph's home. They were married on Saturday, August 13, 1966 at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette, with Monsignor George Bodin officiating at the ceremony. Glen John Provost, now The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop, before he was ordained a priest, played the organ at their wedding. For their honeymoon they went to Mexico City and the first place they visited was the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the old Cathedral. They made additional trips to Mexico City and visited the new Cathedral where they saw the Tilma that St. Juan Diego was wearing when Our Lady left her beautiful image. Needless to say Joseph fell in love with this beautiful shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In 2007 Joseph and Josephine spoke to Monsignor Keith Joseph DeRouen, former Pastor of Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, about possibly placing a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Cathedral. Monsignor DeRouen enthusiastically backed their proposal. At the main entrance of the Cathedral on the left side wall is a statue of Our Lady donated in memory of Josephine's father and mother, Augustine Ruiz, Sr. and Josephine E. Ruiz, and was blessed by Monsignor DeRouen on December 12, 2007, Our Lady's Feast Day. Over the years Josephine became very active with many different Catholic Organizations including Court Immaculatta No. 503 CDA, Ladies Altar Society. St. Ann Society, Lay Carmelites Community # 1903, and served as a volunteer at Bethany Retirement Home for many years with her good friend, Rose Joseph.

In July 1987 Josephine was one of six ladies appointed by The Very Reverend Glen John Provost, now The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop, to serve on a committee to count the collections at the Cathedral. She served on this committee for twenty-seven years during the Pastorship of The Very Reverend Glen John Provost, Monsignor Keith DeRouen and now The Very Reverend Chester C. Arceneaux, VF. She retired in 2014 due to her ill health.

When Josephine's husband, Joseph, became involved in the Italian-American Club of Lafayette and the club members started making their annual St. Joseph Altars in 1979, she and Joseph eventually were named as co-chairman of the Annual Altars. Josephine made many Italian cookies for the altar. Starting in January each year she made between 3000 to 4000 cookies for each altar, most of the time working alone. Yes thousands! She and her husband felt very blessed many times by special favors granted from St. Joseph. Later her husband became involved with the American-Italian Federation of the Southeast, an umbrella organization of the Italian American Clubs in Louisiana and Mississippi. She and her husband would go to the biennial conventions and quarterly meetings held in different cities and helped with the conventions in any way possible. Josephine enjoyed working with different clubs and making new friends.

On January 27, 2002, Monsignor Keith J. DeRouen presented Josephine and Joseph with the Bishop's Medal of Honor from Bishop Edward O'Donnell, and a blessing from Pope John Paul II for their continued dedication and service to the Cathedral. They were deeply honored and thankful for this special occasion.

She was also one of the group of ladies who started the monthly Senior luncheons at St. John Cathedral and continued working for a number of years with the group, until she had to retire because of illness.

Josephine and Joe enjoyed traveling and many times would be in the car every weekend going to different places, festivals, New Orleans Parades, visiting relatives and friends, and on different vacations driving to St. Louis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City, Albuquerque, San Antonio,, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Monterrey, Mexico, just to name a few.

Josephine is survived by her loving husband, Joseph Salvador Piccione, Jr.; three nephews, Robert Juan Ruiz, Peter Charles Piccione, Jr. (C.J.), and Michael Piccione; four great-nephews; one sister-in-law, Roberta Hebert Ruiz; and numerous cousins and Godchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, one brother, Augustine (Gus) Ruiz, Jr.; one sister and brother-in-law, Amparo "Cookie" and Peter Charles Piccione, Sr.; one nephew; her in-laws, Joseph and Sarafina Schiro Piccione, Sr.

Upholding the honor of pallbearers will be Dennis Sullivan, Peter Charles Piccione, Jr., Don Sellers, Larry Aillet, Shane LaHood and Perry Scotola.

Honorary pallbearers will be Phillip Scotola and LaHood LaHood.

Josephine always will be the shining light of Joseph's life.

A very special thank you in extended to The Very Reverend Chester C. Arceneaux, VF, Rector of Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and to Reverend Millard G. Boyer, Chaplain of LGMC, for their many acts of kindness to both Josephine and Joseph. The family would also like to thank the nurses, doctor and staff of Cornestone Village South, and also to Dr. Anhar Lodha, Dr. Brad Broussard, Dr. Francine Manual and all of their staff for their assistance provided to Josephine during her time of need.

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

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