Services are set for Saturday for Laurita D. Pete, longtime Acadia Parish educator and Crowley City Council member, who died last week.
Pete was 86.
The Homegoing Service honoring the Life and Service of the Honorable Laurita D. Pete will be held Saturday, March 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. Services will be officiated by Pastor Sherard Joseph and the Eulogist will be Pastor Dale Morgan.
The Wake Service will be held Friday, March 29, 2024, at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Visitation on Saturday, March 30, 2024, will be at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Interment will be in South Crowley Cemetery.
Pete died on March 21 at Ochsner Acadia General Hospital in Crowley.
Pete was a longtime member of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, a 27-year educator of the Acadia Parish School System, a 12-year member of the Crowley City Council and a mother and grandmother.
She was the first Certified African-American Department of Public Welfare case worker in the State of Louisiana, and served as ministry coordinator in her church. She was the first African-American Woman to serve on the Crowley City Council and was Chairperson to the Louisiana Municipal Black Caucus Association (LMBCA) for two terms.
She spearheaded the formation of the rural Cradle to Prison Pipeline initiative by assisting with the convening of a series of town hall meetings. She worked tirelessly to demonstrate her commitment to children through her efforts in support of community renewal and youth development programs, to include the establishment of the Acadia Parish Boys and Girls Club, as well as the LMBCA Scholarship Programs. Her contributions were so significant, she was named an Honorary State Senator by the Louisiana State Senate.
Pete was recognized as a “Champion for Children” by the Louisiana Children’s Defense fund, where she was given a lifetime achievement award. In 2001, the National Association of University Women (NAUW) named her “Woman of the Year.”
To read her full obituary, please click here.
