Obituary

Lorraine "Betty" Elizabeth Schertz Hughes

February 1, 1927 - December 20, 2021

Betty was born February 1, 1927 and passed away on December 20, 2021.  She was a native of New Orleans, LA and a long-time resident of Bogalusa, LA.  She also lived in Port Arthur, TX; Denham Springs, LA; DeRidder, LA; and Millard, MS.

Betty was valedictorian of her class in 1943 at John McDonogh High School in New Orleans.  As a graduate of LSU with a degree in chemistry, she was elected to Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society as well as other academic honor societies.  Betty was a chemist for The Texas Company (Texaco) in Port Arthur, TX before her marriage.

Betty served as President of the Suburban Reviewers Book Club in Denham Springs, where she was also a Blue Bird leader.  She was also President of Seedling and Sapling, a woman’s auxiliary of the Louisiana Forestry Association; President of Civic League in Bogalusa; President of Ingleside Symposium; she was on the board of Bogalusa YMCA; and on the board of the United Way.  She was a member of the Southeast Louisiana Historical Society, the Louisiana Forestry Association, L’Heritage Francais, a past member of the Bogalusa Country Club, and a member of two bridge clubs.  Betty was an avid reader, an accomplished bridge player, and loved to dance and swim.  Her greatest pleasure was her family - her husband, her children, her grandchildren, and her extended family.

Betty is survived by her three children - Jeff D. Hughes and his wife Lisa Lizana Hughes; Barbara Hughes Favre; and Paul S. Hughes and his wife Anne Fergeson Hughes.  She is also survived by three granddaughters, Lorraine “Raine” Favre Peppo and her husband John R. Peppo III; Eleanor “Ellie” Hughes; and Alyssa Lane Wilson; two great grandchildren, Jocelyn Peppo and Jacob Peppo; a brother-in-law, Howard Sanders Hughes; nieces, nephews, and an “adopted” son, Dr. Charles Nassauer; a cousin, Jane Zimmerman; a long-time employee and friend, Bennie Murphy; and former daughter-in-law, Carmen Jones.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years Jeff D. Hughes, Jr.; her parents Paul M. Schertz and Alphonsine Berdami Schertz; two sisters, Marcelle F. Schertz and Agnes (Zita) Morel; one sister-in-law, Catherine Illingsworth; and two brothers-in-law, Thomas Morel and Charles M. Hughes.

Private funeral services were held at the Sanctuary of Peace Mausoleum at Ponemah Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.