Georgiana B. Stauffer

November 11, 1922 ~ December 16, 2014

ABBEVILLE—Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2014 at a 1:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Georgiana Marie Broussard Stauffer, 92, who went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at Pelican Pointe Healthcare & Rehabilitation.
She will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Reverend Louis Richard officiating the services. Pallbearers will be Thomas Perez, Steve Hungerford, Clay Willis, Hartwell Broussard, Duane Davidson and Albert Hebert.
Georgiana, daughter of Theodore Broussard and Lucia Ledet, nicknamed "Jo" in high school; she was born November 11, 1922, and graduated from Abbeville High in May of 1940, 5th in a class of 92. While still a senior in high school, she went to work as a clerk at Robert Stauffer's Store where she met Ernest Stauffer. They fell in love and married on June 4th, 1940. She and Ernest enjoyed 51 years of marriage before his death in November of 1991. After their marriage, Jo was a housewife and mother of two girls, June and Eloise. As a housewife, Jo perfected the art of making flaky pie crusts and shrimp and okra gumbo.
Once her children were both in school at Mt. Carmel, she went to work at Mt. Carmel Elementary as a substitute teacher where Mother Carmelita discovered her talent for teaching. Jo was hired as the kindergarten teacher at Mt. Carmel Elementary which often had 45 to 50 children in the classroom. Students like Mark Piazza and Gregory Dubois frequently helped her pick up crayons and books spilled on the floor. Because of the educational practices at that time, Jo had both the regular and the special education students in her classes. After teaching kindergarten for 9 years, Jo went back to work at Robert Stauffer's Store in 1966. In 1979, Jo and Ernest retired from retail merchandising and closed Robert Stauffer's Store. After retiring, Jo began to take up new interests: acquiring daylily cultivars and collecting antiques. With the help of her lifelong friend, Betty Derouen, she began to create heirloom- Jo's Quilts. Every stitch was done by hand; she would never let a machine touch her quilts. Using techniques such as piecing and appliqué, she created quilts worthy of museum display. One appliquéd quilt contained 9 different American birds on different perches and in different positions. She personally named this quilt, "Audubon's Choice."
As a lifelong member of St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Jo devoted her life to the love of the Catholic Church and the Lord.
In addition to her two daughters, Jo leaves behind six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. June's children are: Eloise Fuhrman, Tom Ortolano, Jr., Theresa Siegfried, and Christina Sumner, all of Bethlehem, PA. Eloise's children are Susannah Fleetwood of San Antonio, TX, and Tom Perez of Charleston, SC.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles Street, on Thursday, December 18, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. when the procession will depart for the church.
The family would like to thank Rhonda and Duane Davidson for their continued love and support of their Aunt Jo. The family is also grateful for the kindness shown by Robie's Food Center and Diana Broussard, hairstylist at Giles Studio in Abbeville.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.