Richard Joseph Landry, Jr.

Richard Joseph Landry, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on August 30, 2024 at the age of 94. Richard, better known as Dick to almost all who knew him, was a devoted Catholic; a beloved father, grandfather, and great grandfather; and an avid memoirist. He loved to tell a good story, and his long life offered ample inspiration. 

Richard was born on October 10, 1929 in LaBarre, Louisiana, a small community of sharecropping farmers that no longer exists today. When he was nine years old, his family moved to the small town of Morganza, just five miles from LaBarre. He left Morganza in the tenth grade to enter St. Joseph’s Seminary to study for the priesthood. Catholic priests are unable to marry; Richard’s children, grandchildren, and beyond owe their very existence to the fact that Richard couldn’t learn Latin. After two years of hard work, he gave it up, left the seminary, and returned to Morganza to finish high school. 

He served in the Army for five years, finishing out his service at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was here that he met the love of his life, his wife of 54 years, Mary Alice. They met at a skating rink. He writes of her in his memoirs, “If it had not been for skating, I never would have met the greatest woman in the world. Alice has been everything to me and our children.” 

After the Army, Richard went to work as a construction electrician, a service representative, and, finally, as a sales representative. While he had several employers, he spent nearly 30 years with the Foxboro Company which moved him to Alabama. Richard and Alice were blessed with 6 children, each of whom made him tremendously proud.

After Alice passed in 2006, Richard was heartbroken. He spent three years traveling and nursing his heartache until he met and married Arlene, also widowed, in 2009. She took good care of him for 9 years until her death in 2018. 

Richard was devout Catholic, giving his time, energy, and resources to the Church for his entire life. At various times he served on the church council, as a lector, and as a minister of communion. He sang in the choir for many years, and was blessed with priests and a parish that loved and bolstered him.

He was an artist, a great cook, and a life-long LSU fan. He made a mean gumbo, and would often prepare a big potful whenever LSU beat Bama at football. He made many friends throughout his life, and rarely met a stranger—as long as he had his hearing aids turned on. He could be stubborn and outspoken, but he was quick with a compliment and even quicker to say "I love you.” His deep love and affection for his family is his true legacy. 

Alice once wrote him a letter thanking him for the care he gave her while she was sick and in the hospital. She writes, “You have really been a dear, and very encouraging through all this. Could not have made it without you. For that matter, could not have made it through life without you.” We, his family, celebrate their heavenly reunion with immense joy. 

Richard was preceded in death by his first wife, Alice Landry, his second wife, Arlene Landry, his parents Richard Landry and Eleanor Babin, and his sisters Corrine LeBlanc, Mildred Doughty, and Adeline Smith. 

Richard is survived by his children, Ben Landry (Pam), Glen Landry (Patty), Pam Passen (Dan), Angela Pappas (Jimmy), Joseph Landry (Lynn), and Teresa Renfroe (Stacy); 

his siblings Thomas Landry and Sister Frances Landry; his 12 grandchildren, Sheila Robinson (Kenny), Rob Landry (Cyn), Michael Landry (Jenn), Greg Passen (Lauren), Katie Branham (Luke), Mary Katherine Thorn (Gabriel), Brad Passen, Brian Pappas, Patrick Landry, Elliott Landry, Amanda Landry, and Nicholas Renfroe; and his 9 great-grandchildren, Robert Robinson, Alyssa Robinson, Max Landry, Ainsley Landry, Annabelle Landry, Logan Branham, Eleni Thorn, Sybie Passen, and Holland Landry.

 Visitation will be Wednesday, September 4th at 10:00 am, followed immediately by the funeral service at 11:00 am, at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 2061 Patton Chapel Rd, Hoover, AL 35216. A luncheon at the church will follow the funeral service. Burial will follow the luncheon at Curie-Jefferson Memorial Gardens, 2701 John Hawkins Pkwy, Hoover, AL 35244. Rev. Reverend Raymond J. Remke officiating. Memorials may be made to St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church.