Eulogium of John Peter Laborde (1923-2021)
The following eulogy was delivered at the funeral mass of Marksville native and oil industry pioneer John Laborde by his nephew Cliff.
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church October 26, 2021
John Peter Laborde was born on November 5, 1923 in Marksville, Louisiana. He was the father of six children: Tracy (now up there with his Dad), Cliffe, Mark Lee (who died as an infant), Gary, Peter, and Adrienne. John died on October 21, 2021, just a few days ago, peacefully at his home on Newcomb Boulevard, with his beloved Sylvia and several family members with him. He was two weeks shy of 98 years old. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, devotion and accomplishment. Benjamin Franklin once said if you are to be remembered, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing about. John did both.
To understate it, he will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.
I humbly stand before you today at the request of my Uncle (who always made me feel like a son), and in honor of Sylvia, my dear cousins, and all of their spouses, children, grandchildren, great- grandchildren, and you, his friends. We gather here at Holy Name of Jesus, this place of worship where countless Masses, sacraments, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and everything in between, were celebrated by this family, and where John worshiped for over 60 years.
It is an honor, perhaps the honor of my life, to have been asked to say a few words here today. As an aside, and off-script, when Uncle Johnnie asked me to do his eulogy, he told me he’d send me a few background materials. What I received was a 26 page resume of his accomplishments. I called him and stated the Archbishop was only going to allot me 8 minutes, and if I addressed his CV the eulogy would be 2 hours long. Well, he laughed, but I’ve left copies in the back of the Church for those of you who wish to see it. Quite impressive. As for now, I will say only a few words, for Johnnie often counseled me with a quote from Will Rogers, “Never miss an opportunity to shut up!” But I have a few things to say.
To fully appreciate Uncle Johnnie, you must understand his roots, for that is what to which he attributed his success. John was the youngest child of Cliffe and Hilda. He had four siblings, each of whom predeceased him, and each of whom were also raised in Marksville.
The oldest sibling was C.E., who while crippled by polio at a young age, and unable to serve in WWII as a consequence, took it upon himself to line up post-war jobs for all of his brothers, including John.
Alden, far more stoic, found a path to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, where he learned, among other things, a little bit about boats. He went on to invent the first offshore drilling rig, develop the initial concept for Tidewater, and was eventually honored as a Louisiana Legend, alongside his brother, John.
Lucien served his country with his brothers, remarkably participating in, and living to tell the tale of the storming of Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day. After success in the European Theatre, he returned to become a renowned farmer in Avoyelles Parish.
Tappy, the only girl in the family, was a loving and devoted wife, sister, mother, aunt and friend. Her smile and kinship kept her four brothers together, through thick and thin. Tappy never got the recognition she deserved, and Uncle Johnnie made certain I make mention of that today.
Then along came John, the baby of the family. Spoiled beyond measure, but endowed with the gifts of intellect, savoir-faire, and unbridled perseverance, he remained inspired by his modest upbringing, which included none other than pumping water every morning from a cistern on his back porch in Marksville, so his Mom could wash clothes.
Life in the country was plain, and not always easy. There were simple rules, simple guidelines, simple pleasures, and simple treasures. Faith, instilled by his parents, and the inimitable Father Van, was a hallmark. Cliffe and Hilda, highly principled individuals, exercised a measured tone, with a firm handle on family matters, underpinned by profound beliefs in faith and education. They created an atmosphere of achievement, a fitting environment in which to raise a young man with ambition.
John left high school and advanced to Cadet Colonel in the ROTC program at LSU. He enlisted and served his country in the Pacific in WWII. John then returned home to start a life. And what a life it turned out to be. After graduating from LSU Law, John worked in Marksville with C.E., but that did not really pique his interest. So he went to Texas to work as a landman for Sid Richardson, a pioneer of the oil and gas industry. Shortly thereafter, Alden and C.E. founded a boat group called Tidewater, and after hobbling along for a few years, Tidewater needed a new leader. The first few candidates turned down the job, so my Dad suggested John, acknowledging that while he was working at the land department for an oil company, he probably didn’t know a pirogue from a submarine. Surprisingly the other board members liked the idea, and pitched it to Alden, who, while known for not being too quick to agree, responded, “He just might do.” The rest is history.
It was a move that changed John’s life. To summarize, John took over a single boat company operating out of Morgan City and turned it into the largest supply vessel fleet on the planet, serving as its Chairman for over 40 years. No small feat. And despite immeasurable success, John never rested on his laurels. He kept building. Today, you can’t visit the World War II museum in New Orleans, the Ocean Star Drilling Museum in Galveston, the Tidewater offices on Poydras, the LSU Law Center, or even the Big Bend Museum at Rexmere, without seeing evidence of the storied legacy that John Laborde has left behind.
For each of his business accomplishments, there was a corresponding effort to give back to the State, to worthy charities, his Church, communities, and countless civic undertakings. John also left a mark on education that will last forever, which will meaningfully impact aspiring young professionals trying to find their way, by establishing the Laborde Energy Center, a product of the largest individual gift in the history of LSU Law. These achievements were nothing short of remarkable. As I told him on many occasions, he made it extraordinarily difficult for any of us to navigate in his wake.
But the aspect of Johnnie’s legacy that museums, magazine articles, scholarships and the like do not manifest is his commitment to family. While making way through both the calm and rough seas of a lengthy business career, Johnnie dealt with life issues that built character and resolve. Marriage. Family. Divorce. Single-parenting. Children. Corporate takeovers. Industry downturns. You name it. Through it all, he remained the Dad, brother, uncle, colleague and friend that we all knew and loved. No more. No less. That legacy, through years of commitment, is embodied here today, in his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and everyone else assembled here. John’s children have each been remarkably successful on their own account. More importantly, they are incredible people, due in no small measure to their Dad’s influence.
John’s legacy of commitment to family is likewise evident in a piece of recreational property located in Avoyelles Parish that he purchased with his brothers in 1965, and which he often frequented, known as “Rexmere”. Rexmere served the purpose that John and his brothers envisioned for it, a place where family members could gather, to maintain and strengthen the family bond. Many people in this Church today, and so many others, have grown up together, celebrated together, eaten together, laughed together, fought together, cried together, and everything in between, at Rexmere. We were given that opportunity because of that vision of John and his brothers. I wish nothing more for the Laborde family at large, as did John, than to keep that vision alive, for generations to come.
John was a devout Catholic. There was not a time I can recall when he visited Rexmere and did not attend the 8am Sunday Mass at St. Michael’s church on Rexmere Lane, including the busiest times of his life. And you can bet that however late his children or grandchildren may have stayed up on the previous Saturday night, they didn’t dare miss that Sunday morning service, under John’s keen awareness and watchful eye.
A word about Sylvia. She is a woman who came into John’s life, and into the Laborde family, and who has made her mark, through love, devotion, and boundless affection for John, and everything he was about. Yes, she indeed saw many views from the high mountains, but also from the basement of #4 Newcomb Boulvard, and never wavered. Thank you Sylvia, for loving him, and loving us.
Today, as we gather in celebration of the life of John Laborde, and reminisce on the path he cleared, this much is plain. God gave supreme intellect, savoir-faire, faith and perseverance to a young boy in Marksville. Then God sat back and watched as that boy became a man, and put those remarkable talents to use. And John did that while remaining grounded – a lesson for us all. His modest roots and devotion to faith and family gave him the ability to respect all walks of life. To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling, in his infamous poem “If,” while John walked with Kings, he never lost the common touch.
The day before John’s brother died, I visited my dad in the hospital. He told me that “he was ready to go see what this mystery was really all about.” When I visited Uncle Johnnie for the last time several weeks ago, I reminded him of that story, and he nodded. He was ready to go find out as well. The two of them, along with Alden, Lucien, Tappy, Mark Lee and Tracy, are now together. And we all know where he is now. He’s watching over us, and St. Peter is in the vicinity. John’s finally comfortable again. He’s happy again. He’s loving again. He’s in charge again. And once again, he’s Chairman of the Board.
New Orleans, LA