VELMA ARCENEAUX SYLVESTER

Velma Arceneaux Sylvester, aged ninety-six, ascended to her God and ancestors on August 29, 2023, at Woldenberg Village in Algiers, Louisiana, surrounded by family and friends. Mrs. Sylvester was born May 5, 1927, to Elizabeth Wiltz Arceneaux and Felix Arceneaux on the banks of Bayou Teche in Broussard, Louisiana. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Harold Sylvester, Sr., and by her parents. She was also preceded in death by her sisters, Dorothy Arceneaux Jones and Bella Jean Arceneaux Dean; her in-laws, Raymond Sylvester, Olee Matthews, Joseph Jones, Hazel Sylvester Broussard, Lionel Broussard, and Anthony Sylvester; and several beloved nieces, nephews, and godchildren. She leaves behind her four children, Harold Sylvester, Jr., Donald Sylvester, Ann Marie Sylvester, and David Sylvester, and her two daughters-in-law, Kathleen Dunn Sylvester and Palma Joy Strand. She is also survived by four in-laws: Genevieve Sylvester Matthews and Sister Marie Antoinette Sylvester as well as Veronica Sylvester Honoré, and her husband, Mark Honoré, Sr. Together with her husband, Mrs. Sylvester had five grandchildren: Tracey Sylvester Garnett (David Garnett, Jr.), Harold Christopher Sylvester, Carlyn Strand Sylvester, Elaine Strand Sylvester, and David Strand Sylvester (Dorian Lisbeth Blair); and three great-grandchildren: Sydney Elaine Garnett, Jonathan David Garnett, and Christopher Harold Garnett. Mrs. Sylvester is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.  Mrs. Sylvester was the matriarch of an extended family that produced doctors, lawyers, business leaders, artists, and Indian chiefs! Mrs. Sylvester was herself an industrious woman who sold popcorn balls, candies, cold cups, homemade potholders, and other various and sundry items. She kept her family all in shape running up and down the steps of their Calliope Projects apartment selling her wares. This fourth-grade graduate was quite the tycoon!  In addition to her family, Mrs. Sylvester was also very proud of the farm-style garden, in the large lot next to her house, that she and her husband, along with Bonnie Williams, developed and cultivated for years.  She loved cooking for her family and enjoyed helping her good friends Gloria Armand and Bernice Jackson make and sell tea cakes which she would ice. She had a steady clientele of tea cake lovers coming to her door for their sweets. Up until the age of 92, Mrs. Sylvester was active in the Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion, visiting homes for the purpose of administering communion. She had several partners to help her minister to the sick through the years. Her most recent partners were Ethel Martin and Liz Johnson. She also partnered with her husband to make sure a few of the neighborhood kids had a safe place to wait after school for their parents to return from work. Mrs. Sylvester remained active, for as long as it was physically possible, as a great Prayer Warrior and in the Young at Heart Ministry, the Knights of Peter Claver, Court 267 (after transferring from Court 36), the Knights of Columbus 9384 Ladies Auxiliary, Marrero Senior Guild, and the Marrero Harvey Senior Center.  Mrs. Sylvester leaves behind her beloved congregation at Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Marrero, Louisiana, and a community of lifelong friends throughout the Metropolitan New Orleans Area that includes Bonnie Williams, Eula Pierce, and best friend since age 19, Mrs. Gloria Baker (“Aunt Gloria”). Mrs. Velma Arceneaux Sylvester was a woman of great faith and integrity, a woman to respect. She will be greatly missed by her family and her large community of friends.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church, 455 Ames Boulevard, Marrero, LA, on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 10:00 am, Father Sidney Speaks, Celebrant. Visitation will begin at 8:00 am, Recitation of the Rosary at 8:45 am, followed by the Knights of Peter Claver Ritual and Tribute, all at the above-named church. Internment: Restlawn Park Cemetery, 3450 Hwy 90 West, Avondale, LA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the charity of your choice.  Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St. Gretna, LA. To view and sign the guestbook, please go to www.davismortuaryservice.com.