The life of Noella Anastasia Broussard Bostick, who passed away at her home surrounded by her four sons peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, December 21, 2024, was celebrated at Saint Paul Catholic Church on Saturday, January 4, 2025. The celebrant was the Reverend Nicholas E. Duncan who was assisted by Andrew and Anthony Bostick, Mrs. Bostick’s grandsons. A eulogy was composed and delivered by her son Jerone Bostick.
She was 96 years, 5 months, and 15 days old. She did her best to live her best every day of that time. She was the daughter of Philogene Broussard and Josephine Broussard. She was the second child and second daughter of an eventual family of 9 children. They were a French Creole family, both parents normally spoke French. They were sharecroppers. In the time of her upbringing during the depth of the Great Depression the survival of the family was of paramount importance and classroom education was often sacrificed. But Noella’s mother Josephine wanted her children to learn the rudiments of reading and writing, a few grades at least. But Noella had ambition and wanted to go to high school, the nearest of which was 5 miles away. She would have to walk. Her mother absolutely refused that she should walk this distance. But her older sister, Lovella, proposed to accompany her, thinking it was too arduous and she would soon quit. She never did. They both graduated from high school.
Noella, with the help of her family, was launched to higher education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. She was in the library when she looked around for her books she was certain she hadn’t misplaced. She asked a young man standing nearby had he moved them? He said he did to get her to notice him. The young man was William Henry Bostick, Jr. After courtship they were married on August 16, 1952.
In 1953, William Bostick was recruited by Wilbur Leon Hayes, Sr., principal of Webster High School in Minden, LA, to teach Industrial Arts. So the young couple moved to Minden to begin his teaching career. Soon after the couple’s children began to arrive; Dwain in 1954, Don in 1955, Jerone in 1957, and the twins, Barry and Garry in 1959. Noella raised her children while completing her college education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1965 from Grambling College of Louisiana (later Grambling University). She later received her Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Louisiana Tech University in 1976. She began her teaching career in Cullen, LA., commuting and carpooling for years. Opportunity arose to teach in Minden and she finished her career teaching at Lowe Junior High School. She retired in 1986 after 25 years at her profession.
Retirement from teaching freed her for other pursuits. She was a member of the Webster Association of Retired Teachers, serving as the Publicity Chair for many years. She headed the Pregnancy Aid Center for well over a decade, securing funds and resources to help at-risk youth as well as organizing programs for preventative education. She was also a member of the Ladies Altar Society at St. Paul Catholic Church, where she was a very engaged parishioner for the 70 plus years.
Noella was preceded in death by her parents Philogene and Josephine Broussard; by her husband of 53 years William Bostick Jr., and by her son Barry Bostick. Noella is survived by her sisters; Mercedese Broussard (Baton Rouge, LA), Doryanne Looper (Otis, Palmdale, CA), Doris Lazard (Charles, Biloxi, MS), Carolyn Griffin (Herman, Ponchatoula, LA), and Marilyn Broussard (Minneapolis, MN); her sons Dwain Bostick (Lucy, San Antonio, TX), Don Bostick (Houston, TX), Jerone Bostick (formerly Cheryl, Kenner, LA), and Garry Bostick (Dr. Gina, Edmond, OK); 12 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, cousins, friends, and acquaintances.