Dtty 2015

Down Through The Years monique.roth@lobservateur.com

January 31, 2015 | Saturday | weekend EDITION

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70 years strong Marriage, family grows for Reserve couple

Audrey and Lucien Cambre, who celebrated 70 years of marriage Oct. 9, 2014, hold up a photo from their wedding day while sitting at their Reserve home.

Lifetime connection made at watermelon party

T

he story of Audrey and Lucien Cambre began at a neighborhood watermelon party in Reserve almost 75 years ago.

It was there where they first met, and as Audrey puts it, “he had been following me around for a while at that point.” After four years of flirting and dates around town, the young couple decided to take the next step and get married.

For Audrey, 88, and Lucien, 94, this would be the start of their life together — a life of struggles, sadness, joy and plenty of laughter — in other words, a life of family.

In 1944, like many young men at the time, Lucien went from high school straight into the United States Army. He was stationed in California for training, but that did not stop Audrey from hopping on a train and moving to California at the young age of 17.

“Once I got to California, I was a week away from turning 18, and according to California law, you have to be 18 in order to get married; so we waited,” said Audrey.

The couple married on Oct. 9, 1944.

“I can’t get over that she left home to marry a man in California,” said

Pictured on the top row, from left, are Pamela Cambre, Kenneth Cambre, bottom row, Audrey Cambre, Tori Becnel and Lucien Cambre Jr.

their daughter Pamela Cambre.

Audrey continued, “when I told my parents I was leaving, they were not happy about it, but they never said I couldn’t go. I remember my dad saying, ‘that’s your little

red wagon.’ Meaning, this is your choice, and there is no going back.”

After moving to Wisconsin so Lucien could go through more training, the couple found out Audrey was pregnant with their first child,

Robert.

Shortly after, Lucien received an honorable discharge from the Army, and the pair returned home to Reserve, where Lucien began working at Godchaux Sugar Refinery.

“It was great to be surrounded by family again, but we were struggling,” said Audrey.

Over the next three years, Audrey and Lucien added two more boys to their family, first Buddy then Michael.

“During that time we lived in three different dumps,” Audrey continued. “We had to cut down on expenses, and we had no modern utilities.”

A year after their fourth son, Kenneth, arrived, the family moved into the house they still live in today.

“I did not get a dryer in that house until 1961,” Audrey remembers.

With the addition of Mary, Pamela and Richard, she and Lucien had seven children.

“Seven kids with no car made it rough, but we always managed,” Audrey said.

Audrey and Lucien always came See connection, Page 4C

Story and photos by Kristen Higdon Nobile’s

Restaurant & Bar Est. 1895

1113 W. Airline Hwy. • LaPlace

985-651-7745

Mon-Thurs 7am - 6:30pm Friday 7am - 7:30pm

M C Y K

2082 W. Main Street Lutcher, LA 70071 Phone: 225.869.8900

Serving the River Parishes Since 1991

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Saturday, January 31, 2015

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Saturday, JANUARY 31, 2015

Nobile & Brothers

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50 years in the making

The earliest known photo of the Nobile & Brothers building, 2082 W. Main St. in Lutcher, at left, was taken in 1899 or 1900 as workmen were repairing it after a hurricane. The Nobile family started the business in 1895.

Above is an artist’s rendition of the Nobile’s Restaurant building in the 1930s, after it had been restored to its original condition.

The family of Larry and Kay Dauterive of LaPlace traveled to New York City from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1 in celebration of their 50th anniversary. The were married Jan. 30, 1965, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Iberia.

Bobcats take the field Taken more than 60 years ago, the picture above may have been the first Cypress Grove High School (Lutcher) Bobcat football team to exist. Pictured, top row from left, are Edgar Picou, Clifford Baker, Thomas Stanton, Neil Clark, John Carr, unknown, Ralph Wilderson, unknown, Samuel Roberston, middle row, Thaddeus Wilderson, Andrew Thompson, Calvin Carr, Clarence Riley, Clarence Barney, J. Scott, Lawrence Gordon, Harold Gordon, Milton Harper, coach William Breda, bottom row, Robert Benn, Lloyd Parnell, Oscar Manuel, W. Travelor and David Cambre.

Fisher’s founder

New & Old

Ken Fisher, along with his wife Mary Claire, started Fisher’s Ace Hardware in 1991. Ken died in 2004 after a battle with cancer. Mary Claire and the staff at Fisher’s Ace continue to serve the River Parishes and follow Ken’s ​motto of ‘Hometown Folks, Legendary Service.’

Cheryl Palermo Burger, above right, stands in the serving window at Connie’s Grill in Reserve. There is a photo on the left of founder Connie Palermo and her husband, Carlo. Cheryl is their daughter, who is keeping the family tradition alive. The old Connie’s building, pictured below, was a take-out only establishment when it began. The new building can accommodate customers inside.

Since 1963 • 52 Years

Cazenave has roots at Vacherie location

Keeping things clean for 2 decades

SAME DAY SERVICE! SEAMSTRESS AVAILABLE! 24 Hour Drop Box at Carrollwood!

Owners Robin and Mervin Guillot, who are celebrating 20 years in business, are shown at the Quick Stop Car Wash grand opening and ribbon cutting Aug. 12, 1995.

Cazenave Motor Company is shown on Louisiana 18 in Vacherie, circa 1941. The dealership originally opened at that location in April 1915.

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28 Years

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Pictured from left to right: Jeanette Morvant, Jon Holm and Deborah (Sammy) Lambert

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28 Years

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Since 1976 • 39 Years

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1465 Hwy 44 River Rd. • Reserve, LA

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M C Y K

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33 Years

M C Y K

BAILEY’S

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Since 1986 • 29 Years

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Saturday, January 31, 2015

Connection: Couple thanks God daily From Page 1C

through for their kids, especially when it came to keeping up their appearance.

“Mom would cut our hair and sewed all of our clothes,” Pamela said. “It amazes me how they did all that they did.”

Audrey and Lucien’s “we’ll manage” attitude stems from their strong Catholic upbringing.

“My faith is so important to me, and it meant a lot to us to send our children to Catholic school,” said Audrey.

“On Sundays, mom would go to early morning Mass so she could come home and start cooking dinner, and dad would take all of us to a later Mass,” Pamela said.

In 1964, their youngest child was born, Don. Two years later, Buddy deployed to Vietnam, leaving the family at home to do nothing but worry.

“I wrote him a letter every afternoon,” Audrey said. “When he came home, he told me that all of the other soldiers waited for letters every week, and that he was grateful he received one every time.”

That same year, Kenneth was in car

wreck, leaving him in a coma for over a month.

When he came out of the coma, he was not able to walk or speak.

“The worst part was not being able to communicate with everyone,” Kenneth said. He recovered, but it was not without the constant care of his mother, father and siblings.

“With all of us, he didn’t have a chance of not walking or talking again. I suppose that is one of the benefits to having a large family,” Pamela joked.

The family was there for Kenneth through that hard time, because it is what they saw their parents do; they knew nothing different.

Unfortunately, Don passed away at 15 in a tragic car wreck on Thanksgiving night in 1977.

“It is still so hard to think about,” Audrey said. “He was so full of life and love.”

“I think our strength as a family really grew after Don’s death,” said Kenneth.

It was at this time when the couple really relied on the community for support.

“I did not want to leave the house for a while after the accident, but my coworkers and friends insisted,” said Audrey.

In addition to being a hard working husband and father, Lucien has been a very active member of the community, serving as Scoutmaster for the local Boy Scout troop; Jr. Achievement leader; president of St. John Theater; and he was on the Board of Directors for the River Parishes Federal Credit Union.

“I have always felt a call to serve the community,” Lucien said.

After raising eight children, one would think the pair would enjoy having them grow up and move out of the house.

For Audrey, that was not the case.

“I hated having an empty nest,” she said.

“We were not use to it.”

The couple took that time to travel, and they managed to visit all of the states in the U.S. except Maine.

“After everything, what I have learned from my parents is that if you have a goal, you can reach it, and their life is a testament to that,” Pamela said.

She recently gave up her business in order to spend more time with her parents.

“They gave up everything for us, so I want to give back to them,” she said.

For Audrey, her children serve as the only reward she needs for a job well done.

“Sometimes, I think I wasn’t the best mother, but then I remember that I raised eight kids who are all good people,” she said.

When asked what has made their marriage stand the test of time, Lucien said, “even though we don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, we never sleep on it. We argue, then make up before going to bed.”

Audrey and Lucien now have 15 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren.

As the leaders of this growing family, Audrey and Lucien thank God every day for His many blessings, most evident in the love of their family.

Through the good and the bad times, the Cambre family has remained, not only in tact but stronger than they once were.

With a rich history that began in their own backyard, the family will continue to share the story with one another of how it all began in 1940 with a young man and a young woman at the neighborhood watermelon party.

Cox’s Fresh Cut Meat | Homemade Sausage | Home Delivery

Pap remembered at Don’s Greta Kenney and Darien Cancienne at Don’s Supermarket continue to work ‘in Memory of Pap,’ the store’s founder and their father, Don Cancienne, pictured, who opened the store in Reserve.

38 Years • Since 1977

San Francisco Plantation A National Historic Landmark Established 1856 - 159 Years

Daily Tours • Student Programs • Field Trips • Weddings

Frisco Fest March 7 & 8 Fall Fest October 24 & 25

• Receptions • Corporate Events

Since 1970 - 45 Years

Serving the River Parishes Since 1975 - 40 Years Strong!

SINCE 1999

Your Full Service Collision Repair Facility

3628 Highway 44 • Garyville, LA 70051 985-535-2221 • www.nalco.com

16 YEARS

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20 Years

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15 Years

SINCE 1979

36 YEARS

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

144 Kimball Dr. • LaPlace, LA

985-652-1636

M C Y K