Former Latelco owner dies of heart attack

Friends and family said their final goodbyes Monday to John Brady Jr., who was instrumental in the south Lafourche community’s telecommunications evolution.

Brady, 70, died of an apparent heart attack in an ambulance en route to an area hospital. He had reportedly been resting at home after a recent neck surgery when he began complaining of chest pains.

The Larose resident was the longtime owner of Lafourche Telephone Company, better known as Latelco.

Brady, his brother Pat and sister Tanya Ditto took the reigns of the company from their father, the late John Brady Sr., who founded Latelco in 1950 after purchasing the assets of the Leeville Telephone Company five years earlier.

Brady recently retired from the business after selling his share of the company to his brother in 2001.

An avid golfer, Brady spent the bulk of his last years overseeing the development of The Club at La Tour, a golf course and residential development set to open next month along Louisiana Highway 308 near Gheens. The course sits on 597 acres, with space allocated for residential homes and townhouses. A retail strip – with space for a possible hotel – has also been planned.

Golfing buddy Sidney Triche of Larose spoke highly of Brady. “John was always trying to do things to better the area and the community he loved so much. He loved to entertain people and used that avenue to try and get things for the area by showing off the bayou country to individuals who were not from here. We will certainly miss him,” Triche said.

Brady is survived by his wife of 47 years, Clara Belle Callais Brady; his mother, Irene Landry Brady; three sons, John Brady, III, Thomas Brady and Joseph Brady; one daughter, Bonnie Brady Babin; his brother Pat; and a sister, Tanya Brady Ditto.