Monday, December 27, 2004, Minden Press-Herald, Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana

Jesse Boucher

Funeral services for Mr. Jesse L. Boucher will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004, at Springhill United Methodist Church with Dr. Burton Blair officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Bailey Mortuary in Springhill.

Visitation will be held from 4 until 8 p.m. today, Dec. 27, at the funeral home.
Mr. Boucher passed away early Christmas morning in his home with his family at his side. He gave up his place in this world after a courageous three year battle with cancer.

He was born on Jan. 7, 1912 on a cold winter's day in Bodcau, a community less than 20 years old, founded in the early 1890s by his father and others of the Boucher family. Jesse began his formal education at Shiloh School and continued by graduating from Springhill High School in 1931. From there, he continued his education at Normal State College in Natchitoches on an athletic scholarship. For four years, he was on the football and track team. He ran on the conference winning "Mile Relay."He served as senior class president and president of the student body, NSU.

After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1935, he accepted a high school coaching and teaching position at Evergreen, followed by a move to Doyline High School and then Minden in Webster Parish. By this time, he was employed by Warner Bros. Pictures and then in 1938, he joined Drayton Boucher in the insurance business and was joined one year later by his lifelong friend, Wilburn A. Slack, creating Boucher & Slack Insurance, a mainstay in Springhill since 1938.

He married Mary Eloise Herrington on Sept. 11, 1940. In 1940-44, he was stationed in Pensacola, Fla., where he served as an officer in the United States Naval Academy. Just prior to World War II, he served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force in Clovis, N. M. Following his honorable discharge, he returned to Springhill to resume his work with Boucher & Slack Insurance.

Jesse began pursuing land and home development as a contractor and developer. As a developer, he became responsible for the construction of many of the most successful subdivisions and apartment complexes in the North Louisiana and Mid to South Arkansas regions.

He is responsible for a major part of the development of Webster Parish. His work continued into developing subdivisions, schools, apartment complexes, hotels and shopping centers throughout Louisiana and Arkansas. Several of these subdivisions include North Acres, Moreland, Whiteway, Marie Street, Meadow Creek, Frost Subdivision and B&S Park. In 1945, he opened an electric supply company housing retail, real estate management, home centers and subdivision development. His current developments include Louisiana cities Springhill, Bossier City, Vivian, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles .His current developments in Arkansas include Fordyce, Pine Bluff and Little Rock.

A leader and innovator in his field, Jesse was voted by the Lions Club 1949's "Outstanding Young Man." His style of building complexes earned him the honor from the Real Estate Community as "Builder of the Year" 1995-1996. His name was added to the "Who's Who" in America and listed in the National Register. He served as Chairman of the Springhill American Legion Post; president of the Springhill Lions Club; PTA and SHS Alumni Association. In the early 1960s, he served as mayor of Springhill.

Jesse and lifelong friend Woodrow Turner founded the "Alumni Association"in Springhill and initiated the birth of the Lumberjack Festival. In 1997, he was honored for his civic work by the Bossier City Lions Club and inducted into the Springhill High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He was recently inducted into the Northwestern State University's prestigious "Long Purple Line."

Jesse was an active member of the Bossier City Chamber of Commerce for many years and had a lifetime commitment as a devoted citizen of Springhill. When once asked,"What was his most important accomplishment?" His answer, "My most important accomplishment was when I married my wife, Eloise Herrington."

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry H. Boucher and Mary "Dixie"Coyle; brothers, Ely Augustus Boucher, Henry Creel Boucher; sisters, Katie Boucher Nelson, Estelle "Sally" Boucher Slack and granddaughter, Sherri LeAnn Campbell.

He is survived by his brother, David G. Boucher and wife Sondra of Atlanta, Texas;his beloved wife of 64 years, Eloise Herrington Boucher; daughters, Savannah Boucher of Los Angeles, Calif., Sherry Boucher of Bossier City, Jessica Boucher-Ford and husband Randall L. Ford of Nashville, Tenn.; granddaughter, Chessa Boucher Lytle of Bossier City; grandson, Nathan Kyle Rogers; niece, Beverly Angel Wilburn and husband Sam and children of Hilton Head Island, Christy Nelson Coy and husband Ted of Hilton Head Island; and nephew, Nick Nelson and wife Dana and their children of Stockbridge,Ga.

The family wishes to express their love and gratitude for Barbara Scott with whom the Lord so gloriously blessed them. They deeply appreciate the compassion, love and care that she gave their loving husband and father.

Pallbearers will be Ed Bankhead, Ricky Darst, Allen Gray, David Gray, Ray Huddleston and Huey Mayfield. Honorary pallbearers will be Robert Adley, Toxie Bowen, Larry S. Burns, Foster Campbell, Harley E. Cox, John David Crow, David Curry, George Dement,Jean Doergy, H.D. Gray, Lloyd Kimbrell, John Madison, Jack Montgomery, Firal Ryder and Joe D. Waggoner.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be sent to the National Cancer Society, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, Ga., 30368-2454; United Methodist Prayer Garden in Springhill, 104 4th N.W., Springhill, LA 71075; or the Alumni Association/NSU Foundation, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA 71497.