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Where's Uncle Earl
Deshotel family cherishes the memories
Kenneth Deshotel and his wife of nearly 48 years, Joyce Ferguson Deshotel, relocated to a spectacular Pass Christian Second Street home about 13 months ago.
Deshotel, a lawyer in the St. Landry Parish town of Washington, La., and his wife are both in failing health. But their home was about three blocks from Mims and Nanette Carter, their son-in-law and daughter who ran a plant nursery and landscaping service for about 13 years in the Pass.
Deshotel, 82, liked the convenience of being able to walk places. Plus, it was good for his tired, aging bones.
"If my water bill came in," he said, "I'd just walk across the street (to City Hall) and pay it."
Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Pass Christian City Hall, as well as the town's public library. The deadly storm left the police headquarters in ruins. The firehouse is still standing, but this city is pretty much gone.
Katrina played no favorites.
"We lost everything," Deshotel said in a telephone interview from Monroe, La. "I'm kind of depressed about it."
One of Deshotel's sons, Beau Deshotel, spent much of Tuesday rummaging through his parents' retirement home. They found a statue in a crawl space. An antique end table. Some old passports. A little bit of everything.
Makes sense, because Beau Deshotel's dad is quite the history buff.
Beau Deshotel, who lives in suburban Los Angeles, and Johanna Riviere, his friend from Opelousas, La., arrived in Pass Christian late last week. They're salvaging what they can, but it ain't much.
"The things they loved the most were here," Beau Deshotel said.
Beau's folks had some great neighbors, like Jeannie Burnam, who moved back to her childhood home in the Pass after her mother, Louise Evans, died in 2002.
"I have a lot now, right across from City Hall," said Burnam, her voice sad but resolute. "I'm staying with friends in the Kiln. I'm just kind of around, just drop in on people."
I'm sure glad she dropped by Tuesday afternoon.
So did Stella Swaim, a sweet woman who ran her own house-cleaning service. I've known her since 1996, when I moved to Pass Christian. Stella was once a waitress at the Harbor View Cafe, where I was a regular for breakfast. (Usually after 10, but hey, I work nights. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.)
Swaim may have to change careers. "We're just digging and sorting through all of this," said Swaim, reminding Deshotel and Riviere that their fresh cuts needed medical attention.
Mims Carter was giving Deshotel the business about living in California.
"Beau's a designer for the stars," Carter said with a grin. "He sent me a CARE package right after the storm, with Sting's shoes... although they might be Alec Baldwin's."
A sense of humor, it seems, runs in the family. Kenneth Deshotel, ah, the stories he could tell, to borrow a line from Jimmy Buffett.
"My ancestors landed at Old Biloxi, which is now Ocean Springs, in 1699," he said. "I went to LSU law school with our jailhouse friend, (four-time Louisiana Gov.) Edwin Edwards, and I served in the Louisiana Legislature while Earl Long was in the governor's mansion."
Which brings up a question. Where's Uncle Earl when you need him?
Posted Sep 21