Obituary for James Bruce Gaspard

Bruce was born on August 21, 1955, in El Paso, Texas, to Canna P. Gaspard and Dessie F. Harris. The Gaspard family moved to Hessmer around 1957. Bruce graduated from Hessmer High School in 1973 and went on to attend Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he earned a Bachelor of Industrial Art Education in 1977.
Bruce married Maxine M. Ponthier, and together they had two children, Samuel Patrick and Sarah Elizabeth. Bruce and Maxine made their home in Hessmer, living in a small house on School Street. He taught woodworking at the Avoyelles Parish Vocational Training Center for several years before later beginning a career in the oil field.
Bruce eventually moved to Texas, where he married his third wife, Donna M. Saucier, in 2000.
He loved the outdoors and enjoyed welding, carpentry and working on his tractors. Bruce was known for his loud, boisterous laugh and for the joy he found in visiting with family and friends in both Texas and Louisiana.
Bruce is preceded in death by his parents, Canna and Flodel Gaspard; sister, Elda K. Bradberry and his niece, Elizabeth (Beth) Bradberry.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Donna Gaspard; the mother of his children, Maxine Juneau and her husband, Byron; children, Sarah Bernard and her husband, Mark, and Samuel Barr and his husband, Travis; grandson, Bear Bernard; brothers, Eric Gaspard and Camile Gaspard and his wife, Mae; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bruce passed away unexpectedly on February 6, 2026, at a hospital in Victoria, Texas, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was cremated, and no services were held.
Bruce will always be remembered for the laughter and joy he brought to those around him. He was a loving son, brother, father, husband and friend whose memory will be cherished by all who knew him.