William Marmande Sr.
March 19, 2015
Xavier Keion Richard
March 20, 2015
REMEMBERING ROY GUIDRY
Those who knew him say the biggest fan of youth sports in the Bayou Region was Roy Guidry
“… He’s one of our biggest,” said Brian Callais, athletic director for South Lafourche High School. “He attend[ed] all of our games – football, basketball games – you can always count to see him in the stands. He knew a lot of the kids and he would just make it a point to always support them.”
If you ever went to a South Lafourche High School basketball or football game, you would see Roy sitting in his motorized scooter, enjoying the game, cheering on the amateur athletes.
The Cut Off native was a father of five children of his own and stepfather of five. He religiously attended his children’s games as well.
Ryan Guidry, Roy’s youngest child, now grown, was a kicker for the South Lafourche High School football team. During one playoff game, Ryan kicked the record longest field goal in the high school’s history.
“Oh, he was fired up,” Ryan said.” … He had told me he was also a kicker, you know. He also had a good leg like me.”
Roy kicked for the Larose-Cut Off High School football team, which is Larose-Cut Off Middle School now.
He was so good that he earned the nickname “Golden Toe Guidry,” a moniker he passed on to his youngest son, continuing his legacy.
Roy excelled as a kicker despite suffering from a childhood hip disorder that caused one of his legs to be shorter to the other. Roy had Legg-Calve Perthes Disease, a disorder where blood supply to the top of the femur, or the thigh bone, is interrupted. It causes the bone to die and stop growing.
“He was actually a great athlete,” Ryan said. “But he still did good for what he had.”
Roy had to have a hip replacement in his 40s and underwent multiple knee surgeries.
“He was crippled, but he still played sports and everything,” said Bonny Louviere, Roy’s daughter. “He really shouldn’t have. He always told us that. He was great in sports. Every sport he played, he did well in.”
When Roy’s son Michael Guidry played college football for Northwestern State University, he would always bring fresh seafood for the team to enjoy, earning him another nickname: “The Seafood Man.”
“They often asked ‘when will the seafood man be back around,”‘ Michael said.
Roy delivered seafood for his brother, Dudley’s, seafood company, Guidry Seafood in Cut Off for about 20 years. He was a hard worker, even when his health waned.
Roy’s job was physically demanding. He would have to swing heavy sacks of oysters during deliveries, which undoubtedly caused him pain. But Roy wasn’t the type to let things keep him down.
“You could tell he was in pain a lot of times but he never once complained,” Bonny said.
About 10 years ago, he was officially declared disabled by the Social Security Administration, which was hard on him.
Regardless of being officially disabled and having difficulty walking, he could still drive. So he shuttled workers to and from jobsites for the Danos marine contracting firm.
Roy volunteered as a youth baseball umpire throughout the area for the Catholic Youth Group for over 20 years before his health declined, Michael said. Many residents have swung a bat with him standing right beside them.
His love of high school sports continued into his later years, even though his children have all grown up and married.
“He didn’t have any kids playing in the last few years and he [was] still very able to attend all of our booster club meetings we used to have,” Callais said. “He was always there.”
Roy loved life and people.
“Every person he met became his best friend for life,” Bonny said. “You only have a view on life like he did if you have a strong Christian faith. ES
Roy Guidry was an avid youth sports supporter who volunteered as a baseball umpire for two decades, pictured here at a South Lafourche High School football game.
