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I believe the greatest gift God blesses us with is the positive people we meet in

our journey to eternity. Recently, one of those special people in my life, Erick St. Amant,

passed away. He and I had a lot in common. We both loved people, athletics and

politics.

After his death, I called one of his best friends, V.J. St. Pierre, who served St.

Charles as parish president. They developed a campaign stressing bridging the gap

between the east and west banks, using the Luling bridge as an example. V. J. served two

productive terms as parish president. In the past election, they were instrumental in

getting Matt Jewell elected. In my conversation with V.J., he said that Erick liked to help

people.

He and his wife, Patricia “Pat”, were instrumental in organizing the “Oldies But

Goodies” organization. They raised thousands of dollars and helped a lot of families with

financial and other needs.

During the last year of Erick’s life, he had serious health problems. The last few

months he was on oxygen 24-7. I visited him and Pat weekly and talked to him on the

phone almost daily. One of the most exciting visits with them was when I was able to

share Jesus and a born-again experience as described in John 3:3.

Erick knew his life was coming to an end, but he wasn’t afraid of death. He told

Pat that he didn’t want a funeral celebrating his life. When she told me that I said,

“That’s good! He celebrated his life all of his life.”

To some people he came across as being tough. The truth is, he was a

marshmallow. He was compassionate, caring and giving. If the secret to living is

giving, he mastered living. Pat shared with me that Erick taught her how to reach out,

meet people, and love them.

My wife asked me if I’m going to miss Erick. “Yes,” I said, “but my grieving

will be partially selfish, thinking of my lost friendship, but remembering all the good

times we had together. Erick was God’s special gift to me.” I’ve heard it said that he

was one of the most unforgettable people they ever met. I agree.

 

If you have any questions, or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O.

Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 504-881-0113, or e-mail hkeller@comcast.net.