Edmond Anthony Boudreaux,

Edmond Anthony Boudreaux, Jr. left this earth and proudly entered the kingdom of heaven on December 22, 2019. He was born April 17, 1949 in Georgetown, South Carolina to Edmond “Ti” and Nita Mae Boudreaux. He spent the rest of his life as a member of the Biloxi community. Edmond was many things during his life. He was a sailor in the US Navy from 1969 to 1972, and his service included time on destroyers during the Vietnam War. He was an employee of South Central Bell and then AT&T from 1973 until his retirement in 2010. He was a devout Catholic who was an active member of St. Michael’s parish in his youth, Sacred Heart (d’Iberville) during the middle of his life, and St. Mary’s (Woolmarket) late in his life. He cared deeply about helping others, and he gave much of his time and his self as an active member of many organizations and to many projects that included the Telephone Pioneers of America, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, the Jaycees, the Knights of Columbus, Camp Bluebird, CYO leader and CCD instructor at Sacred Heart Parish, the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, and the annual cemetery tours in the Biloxi cemetery. He was twice (1999 and 2015) recognized as Biloxi’s art and history volunteer of the year. He was an avocational archaeologist who served as President and Southern Vice-President of the Mississippi Archaeological Association, was a leader in the association’s Gulf Coast chapter, and who participated in many excavations of Gulf Coast archaeological sites. He was a self-taught historian who was very active in the Mississippi Coast Historical and Genealogical Society, and he was recognized as Historian of the Year by the City of Biloxi in 1995. He wrote three books about Gulf Coast history (Legends and Lore of the Mississippi Golden Gulf Coast, Lost Biloxi, and The Seafood Capital of the World: Biloxi’s Maritime History) and a weekly newspaper column called “Gulf Coast Time Traveler.” Edmond was a Biloxian through-and-through. He had such a love for the Biloxi community and its past, and he had built such a name for himself as a local historian that he constantly took calls at home from people asking questions about Biloxi’s history. If he did not know the answer, he was always excited to dive into some research and discover something new. Edmond’s most important roles in life were as a husband, father, and grandfather. He met the love of his life, Virginia Bertucci, when they were in high school at Notre Dame and Sacred Heart, and the two of them embarked on 50 years of marriage when they were married at St. Michaels on August 10, 1969. They were the proud parents of three sons: Edmond III (Tony), Brandon, and Marcus. Edmond’s greatest role in life was that of “Poppa” to his nine grandchildren who he loved to the moon and back. He was involved in all aspects of his grandchildren’s lives. He never missed a family event, and he always had a camera in his hands. Edmond was preceded in death by his father Edmond Sr, his mother Nita Mae, and his younger brother John. He is survived by Virginia, his wife of 50 years; his three sons (Tony, Brandon, and Marcus) and their wives (Christy, Heather, and Michelle); his nine grandchildren (Anthony, Christian, Ashton, Claire Anne, Jaxson, McKenzie, John Colton, Mollie, and Addie Cate); four brothers (Armond, Vincent, Damien, and Marcel), two sisters (Carolyn and Kateri), and a very large number of cousins, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. Services will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Woolmarket on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Public visitation will begin at 9am, and a mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am. A graveside service for the family will be held at a later date at the Biloxi National Cemetery. There will be a reception following the Mass at The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to either The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum or St. Mary Catholic Church. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, Howard Avenue in Biloxi, is honored to help serve this family. View and sign register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com