Francis Ernest Gremillion, Jr.

January 14, 1950  –  July 9, 2022

A Funeral Mass for Francis “Frank” E. Gremillion, Jr., 72, will be held at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux, Louisiana at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2022.  Officiating will be the Very Reverend Jay Baker.  The family will receive friends beginning at 9:00 a.m.  A graveside service honoring his life will be held at St. Ann’s Catholic Church Cemetery in Stonewall, Louisiana, at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 17, 2022.

Frank was born on January 14, 1950 in Shreveport, Louisiana.  He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Saturday, July 9, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after a brief and courageous battle against esophageal cancer.

Frank graduated from Stonewall High School in 1968 where he was the Outstanding Graduate of his high school class.  He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Louisiana State University in 1972.  While at LSU, he was a member and officer in the Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity.  After graduation, Frank worked for the reelection campaign of Democratic U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender of Louisiana.  After Senator Ellender’s death, Frank worked in insurance, which prompted a move to south Louisiana in November 1975 when he began working for Jack A. Parker and Associates in New Orleans.  In 1978, Frank changed careers, moving into the maritime industry where he would work until his retirement in July 2020.  In November 1978, he began working for Offshore Tugs, Inc. in Golden Meadow.  During his 18-year tenure, he served as Traffic Manager, General Manager, and finally Executive Vice President.  From November 1996 until August 2012, Frank was Vice President of Offshore Towing, Inc. where he worked with his colleagues to build the company into one of the primary rig moving companies in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.  From August 2012 until his retirement in July 2020, he worked as an Operations Manager for Crosby Tugs, LLC.

Frank had many hobbies and passions.  He loved music, history, and current events.  One of his most treasured and memorable experiences was hiking for a week in the Grand Canyon with friends.  He often spoke of sleeping under the stars and listening to a college choral group camping nearby singing “Amazing Grace” and hymns in Latin.  He was an avid chef and loved to entertain and cook delicious meals for his family.  A longstanding family tradition was church on Sunday mornings followed by a wonderful afternoon meal Frank prepared for his family.  He loved and adored his family and friends to the end and especially enjoyed spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Frank was actively involved in the community where he was on the board and served as President for several years of the Friends of the Edward Douglass White Historic Site in Thibodaux.  He was also on the board of the Bayou Playhouse in Lockport.  Frank was a devout Catholic.  He was an altar boy at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Stonewall, Louisiana, in his youth.  The third weekend in June each year, for 44 years, Frank attended retreat at Manresa, a Jesuit Retreat Center in Convent, Louisiana.  He treasured his yearly retreat weekend at Manresa and the contemplative environment it provided for spiritual reflection and strengthening his relationship with God.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Florence Carlene Prudhomme Gremillion and Francis Ernest Gremillion, Sr. and his loving grandmother, Mabel Lillian LaFitte Prudhomme.  Surviving him to cherish his memory is his beloved wife of 44 years, Suzanne “Sue” Brousseau Gremillion; children Lillian and husband Wilson Nash of Alexandria, Virginia, Morgan Gremillion and wife Kristy of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and David Gremillion and wife Blaire of Mandeville, Louisiana; grandchildren John Morgan Gremillion, Mary Margaret Gremillion, Charles Gremillion, and Henry Gremillion; lifelong friend David B. Means and wife Elizabeth of Gloster, Louisiana.

Memorials may be made to Manresa House of Retreats in Convent, Louisiana and the St. Ann’s Catholic Church Cemetery in Stonewall, Louisiana.