Sharon Ann Savoy Romero

Sharon Ann Savoy Romero passed away peacefully in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on January 6, 2017 at the age of 69.

Sharon is survived by her step-mother, Helen Savoy of New Iberia; two siblings, Susan Brown and husband Dennis of Cushing, Texas, and Larry Savoy and wife Michele of Westlake; a daughter Jennifer Romero Wallace and husband Lance of Lake Charles; three grandchildren, Jackson Chase Wallace, Fisher Allen Wallace, and Emery Romero Wallace, all of Lake Charles; as well as her protective pup, Buddy.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Marjorie Chase Savoy of Lake Charles; her father, George Adam Savoy, Sr., of New Iberia; and her brother, George Adam Savoy, Jr., of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Sharon was born on March 12, 1947, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Six months later, she and her family moved back to Louisiana. They settled in New Iberia when Sharon was four years old. In 1965, she graduated from New Iberia High School. Soon after graduation, the then-Iberia Parish Tax Assessor, Ceasar LaBauve, complimented her warm smile and asked her to come to work in his office. She accepted his offer and remained with the Assessor’s Office until her retirement 37 years later. Honored to serve under four Tax Assessors, she retired as Office Manager.

Always civic-minded, Sharon served as a Girl Scout Troop Leader and helped promote literacy by teaching others to read. She was a 1999 graduate of Leadership Iberia II. She also was an active member of the Louisiana Riches Charter Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association, now the Acadiana Women Leaders (AWL). She held numerous offices and was named Woman of the Year in 1998. As a member of AWL, she especially enjoyed dog wash fundraisers, Iberia Performing Arts League events, and the World Championship Gumbo Cook-off.

After her retirement, she embraced her adventurous side and travelled extensively. Most notably, she visited Italy four times, participated in a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, and toured the Holy Land where she jokingly said God hit her with a 2” by 4”.

Upon her return from Israel, she devoted much of her time to St. Peter’s Catholic Church in New Iberia. At St. Peter’s, she served as a Eucharistic Minister, a Lector, and a volunteer for various activities such as Eucharistic Adoration and praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

In addition to Sharon’s passions stated above, she had two more worth special mention. Those who knew Sharon knew her deep affection for the New Orleans Saints. She was truly a fan from day one, having attended the first regular season game in 1967 at Tulane Stadium and witnessing John Gilliam’s opening kick-off return for a touchdown. Sharon also had a love for dancing and music, especially the Golden Oldies. One has to wonder if Heaven welcomed her with a second line or a jitterbug party!

Although Sharon wished to live out her retirement years in New Iberia, her health required that she move closer to her daughter when she was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia – Primary Progressive Aphasia (FTD-PPA). She took the move in stride, never complained, and continued to have a joyful disposition. Upon being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease) near the end of 2015, her condition deteriorated rapidly. However, she never lost her beautiful smile or her sweet spirit.

The family wishes to thank her caregivers for their gentle, loving attention. Those of special mention are Dr. Gustavo Roman and Dr. Belen Pascual of Houston, Texas; the entire staff of Brookdale Senior Living and Heart of Hospice; as well as Ashley Cooks, Belkis Barber, Rita Fontenot, Kim Francis, Sharon Stewart, Aaliyah Thomas, and Priscilla Thomas.

A funeral is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2017 at 1:00 PM at Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation will be held at Sunday, January 8, 2017 from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, with a rosary at 6:00 PM and will continue on Monday at 9:00 AM. Father Roland Vaughn will officiate the ceremony. Burial will be at Consolata Cemetery. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Sharon’s life.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Sharon to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org; Radnor Station Building 2, Suite 320, 290 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, Pennsylvania) or The Gleason Initiative Foundation (www.teamgleason.org/donate; P.O. Box 24493, New Orleans, Louisiana 70184). To benefit future generations, her brain was donated to the Houston Methodist Research Institute.