Thomas Arthur Courville

Thomas Arthur Courville, 73, died peacefully at home surrounded by family on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Lake Charles, LA, on Tuesday, August 29 at 2pm with Father Marcus Johnson officiating. Interment will take place at LeBlanc Cemetery in LeBlanc, LA. A gathering of family and friends will be held at Johnson Funeral Home on Monday, August 28, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM with a rosary at 6:30 PM.

Thomas was born August 27, 1943 in Oberlin, LA to Arthur and Gussie Mae Rion Courville. He was a lifelong resident of Lake Charles and graduated from Lake Charles High in 1961. It was there that he met his future bride, Priscilla Chapman. They married May 29, 1965. Thomas graduated from McNeese State University with a BA in Accounting. He enrolled in the US Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Colonel Courville retired from military service in 2003.

After returning from Vietnam, Thomas began his career at Firestone Polymer. He was a loyal and dedicated employee for over 37 years and retired from his last position with the company as a Human Resources and Labor Relations Manager in 2006.

Thomas was an avid story teller and loved talking about experiences in his unique expressive >

Thomas valued education and encouraged others to learn from every experience and to take advantage of those opportunities. To demonstrate and assist others, he founded the Priscilla Chapman Courville Scholarship in Education at McNeese State University.

Thomas was a member of St. Margaret Catholic Church and served as a Eucharistic Minister.

Thomas is survived by his wife of 52 years, Priscilla Chapman Courville; daughters, Christi and husband Sammy Kingsley and their children, Julia Clare and Baylor Thomas; Kelley and husband Tom Franks and their children Trent Thomas and Lauren Lee LaRocca all of Lake Charles; sister, Evelyn and husband Bill Stutts of Kerrville, TX; along with a host of close friends.

Donations may be made to the McNeese State University Foundation –Priscilla Chapman Courville Scholarship in Education, Burton Business Center Room 439, Box 91989, Lake Charles, LA or to the St. Margaret School, 2510 Enterprise Blvd, Lake Charles, LA.