The Prayer Link

A very loving and devoted daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, she passed away surrounded by her family and friends at St. Helena Parish Hospital at 6 PM on Sunday, February 23, 2014, at the age of 76 years. She was born December 10, 1937, in her grandparents’ home in rural St. Helena Parish. She resided in St. Helena her entire life. She was a housewife most of her adult life and served as a “room mother” during her children’s elementary years. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she was an excellent cook and baker and many neighbors would custom order cakes and pies for special occasions and holidays. She operated the kitchen at first Fairchild Livestock, and later Kentwood Livestock for many, many years. People came every week to get a taste of her cakes, pies, and lunches, especially the chicken & dumplings, Egg Custard pies and Italian Cream Cheese Cakes. She was a devoted daughter to her parents during their lifetime, and was a faithful & devoted caregiver to her parents in their later years. She was also the caregiver to her brother Tommy in his final months. She was an avid LSU fan always pulling for her Tigers. She loved to go to the “junk auction” on Saturday nights. After she became bedridden, she loved to talk on the phone and watch TV, especially LSU sports and the Game Show Network. She took great pride in being a “telephone operator” for the community – you could always count on the fact that if she didn’t know the news, she would soon find out! She is survived by her 3 daughters, Brenda Kleinpeter, Kay Kliesch and Paula Splane ; 2 grandchildren, Scarlett and Colton Splane; brother, Paul and his wife Pat Alford; all of Kentwood; brother-in-law, Lyle Kliesch, Mountainair, NM; and sisters-in-law, Mary Nell Kliesch, Kentwood and Hettie Jean Kliesch, Gillsburg, MS. She is also survived by a niece, Sarah Alford; Durham, NC and 3 nephews, Phillip Alford & wife Penny, Baton Rouge; Phillip Rogers, Kentwood; Bud Alford & wife April, Hammond. She is preceded in death by her husband, Paul Kliesch; her parents, Flavuis and Elva Mae Grice Alford; her brother, William E. “Tommy” Alford; and 2 sons-in-law, Robert L. Kleinpeter and Ogden “Nickie” Splane. Visitation will be Tuesday, February 25th from 5-9 PM at New Zion Baptist Church, Kentwood, and from 8 AM until funeral services at 11 AM on Wednesday, February 26th. Burial will be at New Zion Cemetery. Thanks to home health employees, Zella Nichols and Lisa King, Dr. J. W. Varnado and the staff of St. Helena Parish Hospital for the many years of excellent care they gave to her. Thanks to her many friends that chatted with her on the phone daily or came by to visit. She dearly loved to talk to people! We want to offer special heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Jessie Mae Pounds for the dedicated and loving care, and most of all, the friendship she provided our mother over the past years. She treated our mother with such love and compassion. Our mother has left us with a legacy of love that we will carry with us throughout our lifetime. While we mourn her loss, we praise God that she has been made whole again. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

 Blanche Theresa Schaff 

A resident of Amite, she died at 12:50 a.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at Kentwood Manor Nursing Home in Kentwood. She was born October 20, 1933 in New Orleans and was 80 years of age. In 1951, she was 2nd runner up in the New Orleans Beauty Pageant. She received 9 awards from Nashville through Cliff Ares with Emerald Records and American Sound. She sang in the Louisiana Hayride, many local churches as well as her restaurant, New Orleans Homestyle Seafood and Home Cooked Meals. She was a member of Cornerstone Church in Amite. She loved to sew, was quite a charmer and was a beloved mother to her children. She is survived by 4 children, Mark Lumetta and wife, Lucia, Amite, Dane Lumetta and wife, Cathy, Covington, Dawn Wood and husband, Pete, Amite, and Kirk Lumetta, Amite; 8 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; sister, Gail Schaff Hoffman, Metairie; brother, George Hoffman, Metairie; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by parents, Louis Valentine Schaff and Blanche Snow Schaff; brother, Louis Valentine Schaff, Jr.; and father of her children, John A. Lumetta. Memorial Services will be held at Cornerstone Church of Amite at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2014. McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.