Rita Augustine Piela

Piela, Rita Augustine (Gussie)- Age 86, of Orlando, FL. A dedicated mother as well as a helpful and loving friend, she passed away on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 after a short courageous battle with a severe infection. She was born to Sara (Deaton) and Otto Vignes in Morganza, LA on August 26, 1920, which coincidentally, was the same day Women's Suffrage was voted in. Also by coincidence, the day of her passing, May 30, was the date of the publishing in the New Orleans Times Picayune of her Morganza High school's graduation exercises. Gussie was on the Board of Governors of the Widow and Widowers
society of Central Florida, where she was a member for 30+ years. Her responsibilities included helping set up before the meetings, coordination of decorations, sending mail-out's to advertise in various church bullitens and newspapers, and composing the quarterly activity sheet. The Goldenrod Civic Club of Orlando, FL chose Gussie as their Member of the Year for 2005, and honored her with a limousine tide during the Goldenrod Parade. She was also their Membership Chairperson for the past 3 years, as well as being on the Board of Directors. She is survived by her son, Jan of Orlando; sisters, Vera Krippenstaple of Slidell, LA, and Anna Mae Michon of Gretna, LA; nieces, Lynn Roseberry and Pat; nephews, Wayne, Ronnie and John; grandnieces grandnieces, Nicole, Yvette, Angel, Heather and Sarah; grandnephews, Jonathan, Ronnie, Jr. and Shaun; great grandniece Brianna; and sister-in-law Deanie of Metairie, LA. She was preceded in death by her husband Henry; sister Phyllis; niece Gail Bahan; brother-in-1aws Joseph Quigley and Joseph Piela; and daughter-in-law Lorraine. She is also both survived by and preceded in death by many other members of the Deaton and Vignes families.
THE EARLY YEARS
Gussie grew up near the railroad tracks in Morganza, La., where her dad Otto owned and operated a barbershop, raised vegetables for the table in his "war garden", and did shoemaking as a sideline. Her mother Sarah was responsible for meeting the daily needs for a family of seven. Morganza was the location for the movie "The Long Hot Sumner". Another movie, "Easy Rider", had a scene in it which was taken inside Melancons' cafe with extras who were local residents.
Gussie enjoyed setting hair for friends and neighbors. She later moved to New Roads where she was a waitress. Then she went to New Orleans and shared an apartment with her sister Vera. While Gussie had the "sweet" job of working for Purity Candy Wholesale, Vera was the "Rosie the Riveter" of the Vignes family, being employed at the higher paying local shipyard. Gussie took sewing classes at the Rabouin Trade School, and nights learned shorthand, a skill which helped to start her career as a secretary.
MARRIAGE
While at a USO dance Gussie met Henry Piela, who was stationed at New Orleans during World War II. They occasionally took Saturday evening cruises on the Mississippi riverboat the "President", which had a mezzanine dining area that allowed them to overlook the dance floor while Val Barbara and his band entertained. In New Orleans crawfish dinners were high on their priority list, as well as cafe au lait and beignets at the Cafe Du Monde. Antoine's and the Court of Two Sisters on Royal Street were also enjoyed by the young couple.
After the war they married and moved north to Connecticut, where earlier during the war Henrys' machinist skills were in such high demand that he had a difficult time breaking away from Pratt and Whitney Aircraft to enlist in the service. Gussie moved to Orlando, Florida when her husband of 19 years Henry, passed away. For many years she gave aid and comfort to her nearby sister, Phyllis, after she suffered a stroke.
RETIREMENT?
As one of her relatives so aptly put it, "Gussie just had such an active life…" Slowing down was just not her "M.O.", like they would say on Dragnet (modus operandi: manner of working). For her, retirement meant changing into a higher gear, and we all shared in the benefits of her "overdrive".
GET TOGETHERS
A retired secretary with 27 years of faithful service at the Hartford Insurance Group, Gussie enjoyed keeping in touch with her former co-workers both by phone and at their retiree's luncheons. She organized some of their reunions also, back when both the Hartford Group and Lee's Lakeside Restaurant were located on Lake Eola and situated across the lake from each other. It was quite a picturesque setting for their friendly get togethers. She used her flair for gardening to root small potted flowers for gifts. Gussie also did the same for some of her Morganza High School Reunions which she organized. There were at least 6, and they spanned the years 1984 to 2004. Complete with all the trimmings, prizes, ceremonies, and of course good food, her reunions added both warmth and zest to all of our lives. The 'biggie', as she called it, was 1993 with 99 in attendance and 18 different classes represented from the classes of 1917 thru 1941. At least twice the Pointe Coupee Banner had articles covering the reunions, and one nearly filled three full columns.
CONCERTS
Every two or three years Engelbert Humperdink would be on tour in Florida, and that occasion would find Gussie right there with her banners to proclaim her affection for her "Enge". Only a few months ago he was in Florida and personally acknowledged her banner in the audience. What a Thrill! Usually Gussie would team up with a close friend and take advantage of an entertainment package which would include prime seating, a special dinner, continental breakfast, and even occasionally limousine transportation.
RESEARCH
Years of effort went into her preparation of family trees for both her father's family (Vignes) and her mother's (Deaton). There was an Air Force Colonel, a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack, a Civil War soldier wounded at Shiloh, and a surgeon who was one of the first doctors to practice medicine in Louisiana (Dr. St. Jacques Vignes born in Lourdes, France who moved to Pointe Coupee Parish in 1769). Also, there was Dr. C. Victor Vignes, a native of Pointe Coupee Parish who moved to New Orleans in 1897. One day while working as a printer on the old Pointe Coupee Banner he decided to, as he put it, "...quit picking type to pick teeth…" and so he took up the study of dentistry. Incidentally, he set the first type on that paper when it was started by Mr. L. B. Claiborne. He went on to become a founder of both the Tulane University and Loyola University schools of dentistry (now non-existent), and president of the National Dental Association, now the American Dental Association. He also served as a State Senator from 1900-1904.
DAILY ROUTINE
Around 6 A.M. Gussie began with a cup of hot strong coffee and the morning Orlando Sentinel paper, followed by a short commune with nature on the front porch while sipping her cup's last few drops. She next walked thru her flower beds, pruning and examining as she went, and followed that with handwriting a few letters to her many contacts. She set her own hair, hosted out of state friends and relatives who occasionally came to town, and visited as well as corresponded with acquaintances that were ill. Gussie's telephone had incoming and outgoing calls off and on all day long, with some overdue conversations being over an hour in length.
For some, like Marion, Dori and Cindy who were long-time friends from back in Connecticut,
two-hour phone calls were not uncommon. Not bashful and always willing to share, she would readily stand at meetings and tell a story, anecdote or participate in some way. While reading her morning Sentinel or her Louisiana Pointe Coupee Banner, she would constantly be gleaning them for pearls of wisdom, quips and other material she could later pass on to others.
A FOND FAREWELL