Obituary

Tommie Joyce Herring Lea 

February 9, 1924 – October 14, 2024

Tommie Joyce Herring Lea, longtime resident of Bogalusa, passed away on October 14th at Summerfield Senior Living in Hammond, Louisiana.  Tommie, a centenarian, was preceded in death by parents, Thomas and Velma Herring; husband, Harry Donald Lea, Sr.; and daughter, Laura Lea Smith. She is survived by her son Harry Donald Lea, Jr. (Rene), daughters Joy McMichael (George) and Faith Dawn Heddings (Ray); sister Ettie Faye Windham; eight grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren, four nephews, and two nieces.

Tommie was a faithful member of Superior Avenue Baptist Church in Bogalusa for many decades, serving as Sunday School teacher, choir member, and solo singer.  She and her husband carefully followed God’s admonition to “train up a child in the way he should go, so that when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Mrs. Lea also served her communities through her work at what she considered the three major occupations open to women back then.  After high school, she worked as a secretary in her home state of Mississippi.  Shortly thereafter, she traveled to New Orleans and became a registered nurse through the program at Mather School of Nursing.  Later in life, with four children to manage at home in Bogalusa, she commuted to Hattiesburg to get bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USM, where she was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society.  She later traveled to California to earn certification as a reading specialist, which was her niche until retirement with Bogalusa City Schools.

In awe of God’s creation and the diversity of cultures in human civilization, Tommie traversed North America in all directions and ventured also to Central America, Europe, and Asia.  Her various trips included different family members who have shared tales of their explorations for many years. Now, she is walking with Jesus, her Savior, on streets of gold.  

Funeral Services will be held in Chapel of Poole-Ritchie Funeral Home, 216 Alabama Avenue, Bogalusa, LA 70427, on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 1:00 P.M. with Rev. Clay Norwood officiating. Entombment will follow in the Sanctuary of Peace Mausoleum, located in the middle of Ponemah Cemetery.

A visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday morning from 11:00 A.M. until service time at 1:00 P.M.