HLS 15RS-4632 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 193
BY REPRESENTATIVE JONES
CONDOLENCES: Expresses condolences upon the death of Mary Charpentier Jones
1 A RESOLUTION
2To express the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of Mary
3 Charpentier Jones, the mother of State Representative Sam Jones of District No. 50.
4 WHEREAS, Mary Charpentier Jones was born to Sterling P. Charpentier and Rosalie
5Marie Ferrera on October 24, 1931; she left this world on November 1, 2014, after a full life
6of eighty-three well-lived years; and
7 WHEREAS, the mother of four sons, Mary Charpentier Jones raised them virtually
8alone from the 1950s and successfully provided for her family as an Avon saleslady, a
9florist, and a store attendant; and
10 WHEREAS, a broken marriage early in the life of Mary Charpentier Jones led to
11bouts of depression; she reached deep within her soul and made the decision to live for her
12children and never looked back; and
13 WHEREAS, her struggles were great, but her victories were greater; Mary
14Charpentier Jones saved and pinched pennies until she was able to purchase the small house
15of her parents as a family home for her children; she never accepted public assistance of any
16kind; and
17 WHEREAS, the unyielding character of Mary Charpentier Jones was woven from
18the fabric of the greatness of our beloved United States of America, her beloved state of
19Louisiana, and her beloved city of Franklin; she honored God and gave her all to her family,
20her country, her state, and her city; and
Page 1 of 3 HLS 15RS-4632 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 193
1 WHEREAS, Mary Charpentier Jones was the surviving sibling of Sterling P.
2Charpentier, Jr., holder of a bronze star with two oak leaf clusters and a Purple Heart for
3service to the country in World War II; Wilton James Charpentier, who served in the
4U.S. Navy in World War II; and Vivian Charpentier Stephens, mother of two sons who
5served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Conflict; her siblings, other family members,
6and ancestors have served honorably in defense of the United States in conflicts in which
7this nation was under attack; and
8 WHEREAS, the strong resolve in Mary Charpentier Jones was built upon a firm
9foundation; she descended from a family of two hundred ninety-five years of patriots; and
10 WHEREAS, Mary Charpentier Jones' sixth great-grandfather was First Sergeant
11Major Jacques Cantrelle, commandant of all French forces in Louisiana and an original
12settler in 1755 of Cabonocey and St. Jacques Catholic Church near Donaldsonville, which
13still exist today; Sergeant Major Cantrelle's daughter, Marie Marguerite Cantrelle, married
14Nicholas Verret; and
15 WHEREAS, the other sixth great grandfather of Mary Charpentier Jones was Joseph
16Gaudet, an Acadian exile of Le Grand Dérangement; Mr. Gaudet arrived in New Orleans in
171765 and married Marie Marguerite Bourgeois, also an exile of Le Grand Dérangement, in
18the St. Louis Cathedral; the couple made their home in Cabonocey in 1765; and
19 WHEREAS, Joseph Gaudet was a British prisoner of war for one and a half years in
20Nova Scotia; he also served under Nicholas Verret in the Battle of Baton Rouge; at the
21remarkable age of eighty-one, Gaudet volunteered to fight the British once again at the
22Battle of New Orleans in 1815; and
23 WHEREAS, the fifth great-grandfather of Mary Charpentier Jones was Nicholas
24Verret, commandant of the French and Acadian soldiers who fought with Spanish Governor
25Galvez at the Battle of Baton Rouge, defeated the British garrison under Alexander Dickson,
26and accepted the surrender of Baton Rouge on September 21, 1789, in a decisive American
27victory; and
28 WHEREAS, the legacy of Mary Charpentier Jones continues through her four sons:
29State Representative Sam Jones, whose service includes two terms in the Louisiana House
30of Representatives, a term as special assistant to Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, and
Page 2 of 3 HLS 15RS-4632 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 193
1six terms as mayor of Franklin; Monty W. Jones, who served in the United States Air Force
2during the latter part of the Vietnam Conflict; and Michael Jones and David Jones,
3successful businessmen in their hometown of Franklin; and
4 WHEREAS, Mary Charpentier Jones was fond of playing poker and visiting the
5Chitimacha Cypress Bayou Casino; she enjoyed these activities into her later years until she
6could no longer drive; and
7 WHEREAS, the final seven years of the life of Mary Charpentier Jones were spent
8in the home of her son, Sam, as she battled and finally succumbed to the associated diseases
9caused by Alzheimer's; and
10 WHEREAS, after the clouds, the sunshine; after the winter, the spring; after the
11shower, the rainbow; for life is a changeable thing; after the night, the morning, bidding all
12darkness cease, after life's cares and sorrows, the comfort and sweetness of peace; Mary
13Charpentier Jones is at rest in a family plot in view of her home in the City of Franklin
14Cemetery.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
16Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express its most sincere and heartfelt condolences to
17the family of Mary Charpentier Jones upon her passing; does hereby extend deepest
18sympathies to all who knew and loved her and who mourn her absence; and does hereby
19offer thoughts and prayers for comfort.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
21to State Representative Sam Jones.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 193 Original 2015 Regular Session Jones
Expresses condolences upon the death of Mary Charpentier Jones.
Page 3 of 3