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At the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse they had adjusted to the loss of Jay Belanger to retirement, which occurred five years ago.
But judges, clerks, secretaries and attorneys, the people who make up the family of personalities who serve the parish day in and day out, who worked alongside of him, sought his advice on grammatical issues and generally found their lives the better because they were touched by him, stayed in touch.
And so his Nov. 21 death, at the age of 70, left a blank space in many local hearts.
The former court minute clerk’s formal name was Roland James Belanger Jr., but “Jay” was what almost everyone called him.
Jay’s influence on the community he loved was not limited to the courthouse. He involved himself in many different ways. As an actor, he made people laugh and cry from the stage of Le Petite Theatre de Terrebonne – Houma’s “Little Theater.” He got bit by the theater bug a long time ago, and thespian pursuits were followed when time permitted.
The eldest of nine children born to Roland Sr. and Claire Belanger, Jay’s love of language began early, while a student at St. Francis Elementary School, continuing through St. Francis Boy’s High and Nicholls State University, where he majored in English.
“Eventually, I think, he may have wanted to teach,” said his sister, Claire Belanger. “But he went into haberdashery, working for Saadi’s in Houma, and in Baton Rouge for a tailor named Schultz.”
Although he enjoyed working in Baton Rouge, relatives said, there were things he enjoyed even more in Houma, including the company of family members, and so he returned while still a young man.
“He loved eating and cooking and all the big holidays, because we would all be together,” Claire said.
He excelled, she said, at cooking a family corn soup recipe, a staple for visitors to the Southdown Marketplace festival in Houma.
Jay and the courthouse, friends and relatives said, were a natural fit. As a minute clerk it was his job to keep track of various actions taken by the judge he was assigned to. Those he worked directly under during his career were John Pettigrew, now 1st Circuit Court of Appeal judge, and District Judge David Arceneaux, who still sits on the Terrebonne bench.
“He was a dedicated public servant,” Pettigrew said in an interview. “He was very compassionate toward people, very honest, and he had a great sense of humor. He always recognized the humor in most things and was always very respectful to people. I was very sad to hear that he had died. I considered him a personal friend.”
When Jay was first hired at the courthouse, Robert Boudreaux – himself an icon of the local courts – was the parish Clerk of Court. The two were frequently seen together effecting business of the courts, both sporting navy blazers, khaki trousers and ties.
Theresa Robichaux, who succeeded Boudreaux as clerk, came on board in 1985, a year or two before Jay, and both worked together as minute clerks.
“What a great guy,” Robichaux said Monday, recalling her friend, co-worker and employee. “He took to the courthouse like a fish takes to water. We sat at desks right across from each other. He had that great sense of humor and was one of the smartest men I knew. He was a fanatic about grammar, and when we weren’t sure where to put a comma or a period he always knew the right answer. He knew so much about the courts, and so far as the law was concerned, he should have been an attorney. He knew his stuff, and he was always prepared. And current events? Any conversation regarding current events Jay was right on top of it. I looked up to him and respected him.“
Like accolades were voiced by others at the courthouse.
Sharp as a seamstress’s needle to the end, Jay enjoyed his five years of retirement, relatives said, seeing every day as a Saturday. The mind so many admired was razor-sharp to an end that came rapidly, due to an aggressive and fast-moving lung cancer. Surrounded by loved ones when he died, Jay was remembered for random acts of kindness. These included driving friends who didn’t have cars or suffered other mobility issues to stores or on outings, aiding just about anyone who asked for his time or assistance.
“He thought the world of people, and was a gentleman’s gentleman,” is how his sister Claire summed up Jay Belanger’s persona. “He never would have said that about himself. He was always out there giving and not expecting. I think one of his goals was that he always be himself. And Jay always was him.”
Roland James Belanger Jr., or Jay as he was known to friends and family, served as a former court minute clerk at the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse. He is remembered for his love of language, wonderful sense of humor and giving spirit.
