Helen Roppolo GoudeauLAFAYETTE - Helen Roppolo Goudeau, age 76, passed away peacefully Friday afternoon on January 27, 2017, surrounded by her three daughters at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital due to complications from pneumonia. The family takes comfort in knowing that she is now reunited with the love of her life, her husband of 51 years, Morgan J. Goudeau, III, who recently predeceased her. Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 30, 2017 at a 10:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial in St. Jules Catholic Church in Lafayette. Entombment will be in St. John Mausoleum. Reverend Daniel Edwards, Pastor of St. Jules Catholic Church, will be the Celebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct the funeral services. Lectors will be Peter Forand and Rob Florence. Giftbearers will be Isabella Florence, Lilly Florence, Mollie Forand and Natalie MacDougall. Karen Broussard, organist and soloist, will sing for the services, "Prayer of St. Francis", "Ave Maria", "Pie Jesu" and "You Are Mine". Helen is survived by her three daughters Helene Goudeau Florence, and her husband Rob, Angelle Goudeau MacDougall, and her husband Jerry, and Anne Goudeau Forand, and her husband Peter. She is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Isabella Florence, Robert Florence, Lilly Florence, Morgan MacDougall, Natalie MacDougall, Mollie Forand, and Liam Forand. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Morgan J. Goudeau, III, her infant granddaughter Anna Rose Ivory Forand, her parents, Serafino "Sam" and Rosa Dicapo Roppolo, and her three siblings Mary Roppolo Cheek, Christine Roppolo Moncus, and Anthony Roppolo.Helen Roppolo Goudeau was born on August 11, 1940 in Melville, Louisiana, the youngest child of Serafino "Sam" and Rosa Dicapo Roppolo. She graduated from Melville High School in 1958 and attended University of Southwest Louisiana (U.S.L.). Helen was a devoted teacher at Mount Carmel School (now Cathedral-Carmel) where she taught fourth grade girls. She was the favorite teacher of many of her students, and she cherished those occasions many years later when she would encounter a former student and share precious memories with them. As a devout Catholic, Helen was greatly influenced by the nuns at Mount Carmel and had considered becoming a nun before meeting the love of her life Morgan J. Goudeau, III. They began their courtship in 1964 and enjoyed attending daily mass together at St. John's Cathedral in Lafayette before marrying on June 22, 1965. This is how their great love affair began, rooted in their Catholic faith. They began their married life together in Opelousas, Louisiana where Morgan practiced law and served forty years in the District Attorney's office. She was a great source of strength and inspiration to her husband throughout his career. Helen was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She and Morgan raised their three daughters in Opelousas where they lived until 1997 when Morgan retired and they moved to Lafayette. Helen loved to cook and often entertained at lovely dinner parties with family and friends. She especially enjoyed cooking the special recipes of her Sicilian heritage, and at one time organized a St. Joseph's Altar for the Opelousas community at her home. During the thirty-two years that she lived in Opelousas, she was an active member of the local garden club and won several awards for her flower arrangements and her garden. She was also a member of the local civic league and served on the State of Louisiana Archives Commission for several years. One of the great pleasures of her life was reading great literature, and she remained an avid reader throughout her life. There was always a book in her purse! Another of her passions was writing, and she enjoyed writing a weekly column "Vignettes" which was published in the local Opelousas newspaper, St. Landry Today. She enjoyed writing about the lives and activities of interesting residents of the Acadiana area in her column, as well as her travel adventures. After her love of literature and writing came her love of watercolor painting, and she won several awards in juried art shows as a member of the Lafayette Art Association and the Watercolor Guild. She loved to share her passion for art and culture with others, and she also served on the board of the UL Friends of Music organization. She especially loved to create paintings for her children and grandchildren who will always cherish these gifts that lovingly hang on their walls as a reminder of her great love. Renewing old friendships and making new friends was a joy to her. She was a people person and loved to visit with her family and friends. She enjoyed going out to dinner and attending various functions in Lafayette with friends and family. She and Morgan especially found a great deal of happiness going to the Petroleum Club where they could be found dancing every Friday night. Helen managed to live a full and vibrant life while fighting serious illnesses for forty years, including two serious bouts of cancer, a TIA stroke and two serious automobile accidents. Her religious fervor and particularly her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and her favorite saint, Padre Pio, sustained her, and she often credited her survival to their intercessions and her faith in God. She is a tremendous role model for her children and grandchildren and will be greatly missed. Her legacy for her three daughters and her grandchildren is to always persevere in the face of adversity knowing God is with you.Pallbearers will be Jerome MacDougall, Rob Florence, Peter Forand, Rhyn Duplechain, Thomas Edwards, Robert Morgan Florence, Morgan Douglas MacDougall and Liam Morgan Forand.A Rosary will be recited on Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 6:00 PM in Martin & Castille's DOWNTOWN Location. The family requests that visitation be observed at Martin & Castille Funeral Home on Sunday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Visitation will continue at St. Jules Catholic Church on Monday from 9:00 AM until time of service. The family would like to especially thank the doctors, nurses and caregivers who assisted in providing her with excellent care until the time of her death. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to St. Jude's Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, Memphis, TN 38105 and the Carmelite Monastery, 1250 Carmel Drive Lafayette, LA. 70501.View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.comMartin & Castille-DOWNTOWN-330 St. Landry St., Lafayette, LA 70506, 337-234-2311