“Bill” John Alvis LaPrarie – On this day in 1953

“Bill” John Alvis LaPrarie – On this day in 1953

On this day the 13th of February in 1953 our maternal grandfather, Papal Bill passed away in Jonesville, Louisiana. He is buried at Heard Cemetery, Manifest, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, USA.*

John Alvis “Bill” LaPrarie was married to Lucy Dee Wright and they had 3 children, John Louis LaPrarie, James Alvis LaPrarie, and our mom Nelda Grace LaPrarie Adams.

He died of a heart attack while walking on the levee near his home in Jonesville, Louisiana. My mother was only a couple of years old at the time, so she didn’t have many memories of him.**

Interesting tidbits:**12-28-15 036

  • He (Papal Bill) owned and operated Jonesville’s gathering place back in the day called “Bill’s Cafe“.
  • He was a member of the Freemasons.
  • “People called him ‘Bill’ because he often wore a cap with a bill. Some of his friends also called him ‘Frenchy’.
  • “He loved to hunt and fish.”12-28-15 030
  • “He would sit on their front porch and talk to the owls. They would hoot to each other back and forth.” 
  • “When he went to bed every night, he would sit on the side of the bed and rub his feet together to get all the sand and dirt off because he did not like crumbs in the bed. Granny told me this because she saw me do this when I was little,” Jennifer laughingly shares.  
  • “He was very gregarious and had a contagious laugh.”
  • “He would bring me (Granny Dee) coffee in bed”12-28-15 033
  • “He would fuss at me about my housekeeping. I would sweep the kitchen floor and then sweep it up into the corner and stand the broom in front of it and just leave it there, and that annoyed him. He told mer that one day he might drop dead and then people would be in the house and see that.” Jennifer laughs and adds that she thinks that did happen.

*Source: Find A Grave

**Source:  Conversations between Jennifer and our Granny Dee:  

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