On this Wednesday, January 27, 2021, it is a bright, sun shiny day with a brisk wind blowing out of the north. It is a different world now, with Covid 19 and social distancing. For me, in the past, on cold days like today, I often visited J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home. Recording stories of the lives of the residents remains one of my favorite activities. Covid-19 has put that on hold, until now!
Today, Hannah Ragas, one of the Activities Directors of the nursing home, helped me connect to a friend from my past. Since December 2020, Lucy Jane Hardy Frederick has been a resident at the nursing home. Hannah sent me a Zoom link and soon Lucy and I were visiting face-to-face. On Wednesday, February 3rd, we Zoomed again. It is wonderful!
Of course, we had to work around schedules, especially Lucy’s. She undergoes dialysis three times a week. That is three, four-hour procedures every week. Lucy feels that the medical assistants who care for her during dialysis is what makes it bearable. We are grateful for them all and the wonderful personnel at J. M. Morrow Nursing Home in Arnaudville.
Lucy and her husband, Don Frederick, were a military family. In retirement years, they returned to Arnaudville and were very active in the VFW, among other things. My sister Mavis and her husband, Richard Frugé, were also in the military and in VFW and I got to know Lucy and Don through them. Also, Don, Richard and my husband, Rod Roy, were in the Knights of Columbus, and KC Banquets were yet another place where Lucy and I could sit and visit.
Don and Lucy were both French-speaking natives of Arnaudville. Lucy likes to tell the story of the day when her friend Sable Moran invited her to go to the weekly Frederick family gathering. The whole family, aunts, uncles, cousins, would come together. When Lucy went home after that event, she told her Mom about a “cute” boy she had met and how she liked him. Don, on the other hand, was experiencing a lot of teasing. It seemed several of the boys observed his interest in Lucy. One day Don sat crying under a windowsill at their family home. His Mom asked what was wrong and he told her that the boys were “teasing me for Lucy Jane Hardy.” Don probably knew then that he would marry Lucy. They shared a wonderful 63 years of married life.
Lucy is the daughter of Rudolph “Macaque” Hardy and Mazie Dugas. Rudolph was the son of Albert Hardy and Lucie Lormand, Lucy’s namesake although her grandmother’s name was in the French spelling. At one time in Lucy’s early childhood, her father worked for the Louisiana Penal System at St. Gabriel, in Iberville Parish. Lucy’s first grade memories are of when she attended school in St. Gabriel.
After about three years, the Hardy family returned to Arnaudville and Lucy attended school at the St. Martin Parish school house (across from Myran’s restaurant) in Arnaudville, through the Sixth Grade. After that, it was school in Cecilia and Lucy’s favorite subject was History.
Lucy had two brothers, Donald and Robert “Bobbie,” who are both deceased. She has one sister, Lona Faye, who now lives in Baton Rouge. She also has one foster sister, Dixie Lee Taylor, Mrs. David “Buddy” Huval. Mazie, Lucy’s mother, was Dixie’s Godmother. When Dixie lost her mother, she came to live with Lucy’s family.
Lucy remembers wonderful family meals. Her favorite was her mother’s Fried Chicken. She can still smell that chicken frying!
Lucy loved to sing. Once, on one of Auguste “Nonco” Pelafigue’s visits to the Hardy home, “Nonco” heard Lucy singing “God Bless America.” He was impressed and for the next Nonco play, Lucy sang her rendition for the St. John Francis Regis Church community when Nonco hosted a play in the Little Flower Auditorium. Nonco is now a “Servant of God,” the first step towards sainthood. Visit https://www.nonco.org for more information.
After high school, Lucy was employed in Lafayette as a secretary. She hopped a ride every day with one of her brothers who was a student at the now University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
In 1955, Don and Lucy made their home in San Marcos, Texas, where Don was stationed at Gary Air Force Base. Don and Lucy’s first child, Donna Jane, was born in San Marcos.
When Donna was about three years old, Don was transferred to an Air Force Base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland, where Don and Lucy’s second child, a boy they named “Anthony,” was born. Next came another boy, named “Daniel.”
Don and Lucy and their family also lived in Clovis, New Mexico, when Don was stationed at Canon Air Force Base. It was in Clovis that their fourth child, Ruth, “Ruthie,” was born.
In addition to San Marcos, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; Columbus, Mississippi; Stephensville, Newfoundland; Alamogordo, New Mexico; and Clovis, New Mexico; Don and Lucy lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Don was stationed at the Air Force Academy. Lucy is proud that in 1974, she was named “Military Wife of the Year.”
Donna Olsen, Don and Lucy’s oldest, lives in Carencro. She has two children, Eric Olsen and Kirsten Broussard. Donna served 4 years in the Air Force. When she moved back to this area, she joined the VFW and the American Legion Auxiliary. Her eligibility to join was because her father was a veteran. Even as a veteran, Donna was not eligible. Now, those restrictions have been lifted, although she is still a member of the American Legion Auxiliary but is also a member of the Post in her own right as a veteran.
Anthony and his wife, Safira, live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Safira is from the Phillipines. Like his father, Anthony joined the U.S. Air Force and he served as an officer. They have two children, Phillyn Frederick and Kaitlyn Frederick.
Daniel and his wife, Gloria, live in Breaux Bridge. They have two children, Caleb Frederick and Joshua Frederick. "Danny," as he is called by his siblings, followed in his father's footsteps. He is not a veteran, but when Don retired from the military, he went to work for PHI, until he retired from that company after 20 years. Danny went to work for PHI when he graduated from high school. He has been with PHI for over 30 years!
Ruthie Frederick lives in Arnaudville. Ruthie has two children, Nicki Venable and Adrianna Poindexter.
Since Don and Lucy lived near Ruthie on Don’s family’s property, Ruthie was the one who took care of Don and Lucy. After Don passed away, Lucy’s children took care of her until she moved to J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home. Lucy is very grateful for the special care from her loving family.
After returning to Arnaudville, Don and Lucy became active member of the St. John Francis Regis Church community. Lucy served as a catechism teacher and a Eucharistic Minister and served wherever she was needed.
Lucy was also very active in the VFW Auxiliary on the local and state levels. In addition to serving in local offices, at one time she was elected State President of the VFW Auxiliary and she enjoyed a very successful term.
Lucy feels blessed with her 8 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She is especially grateful for the family members who live nearby and take very good care of her.
Click here to read Don's obituary.
It is a pleasure for me to have visited with Lucy through Zoom and over the phone. Thank you to her family members who supplied information for Lucy's story. A special thanks to Hannah Ragas.
Betty Arnaud Roy
Nonco Foundation