Mary L. Morton

Khalil Ledet
June 1, 2022
Ernest James Eschete
June 1, 2022
Khalil Ledet
June 1, 2022
Ernest James Eschete
June 1, 2022

December 23, 1933 – May 29, 2022

Mary L. Morton, Ph.D., a long-time Professor of English and Distinguished Service Professor at Nicholls State University, passed away on May 29, 2022. Dr. Morton was a Fulbright scholar. She designed and conducted literary programs for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and presented scholarly papers at many universities, including Cambridge University in England and the Sorbonne University in Paris.

A memorial mass will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Thibodaux on Thursday, June 2 at


10 a.m. A private ceremony and burial will follow in Shreveport at a later date.

Mary enjoyed family, travel, and literature. Her house on Bayou Lafourche was always open to everyone. Crawfish boils, Christmas dinners and Easter meals were the norm. Her house was the gathering house, and she was an excellent cook – a natural cook, not reliant on recipes. She loved being with family, and to many of us, she was Granny.

She is survived by her children, Suzanne Martin and husband Larry, Jackie Morton, and William Keith Morton; grandchildren, Alicia Martin Hansen (Eric), Stan Martin (Mallory), Julia Broome, David Broome, and Tyler Morton; great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Tess, and Leim; siblings, Marcia Vitter (A.C.) and George Lambert (Jean).


She was preceded in death by her husband, William Mack Morton; children, Janice Lynn Morton and Carol Jeanine Morton; parents, Thomas and Thelma Lambert; and sister, Betty Jo Salzer.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Nicholls State University, for the Marie Fletcher Lecture Series, of which Dr. Morton was a charter member, or to a charity of your choice.