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Edvirde “Elvina” Fontenot of Beaumont, Texas
December 3, 1947 – August 27, 2020
Edvirde “Elvina” Fontenot 72, of Beaumont, TX; passed Aug. 27, 2020.
Services will be Sept. 05, 2020 at Paradise Missionary Baptist Church 4390 Fannett Rd. Beaumont, TX. Public Viewing will begin at 8AM until Funeral Service at 10AM. Interment will be in Live Oak Cemetery Beaumont, TX.
Elvina was born, December 3rd, 1947 to the late Asweld Aclis and Lovice Hall in Ville Platte, La. She attended James Stephens High School until the 11th grade. Shortly after leaving school she reunited with a childhood friend, Rodnis Fontenot and on September 23, 1967 they became life partners. She often told the story of how as young kids he would always tell her she was going to be his wife. Of course, she thought nothing of it, but God had other plans. She relocated to Beaumont, TX excited to join her husband and start a new life as a devoted wife.
The couple quickly found a church home at St. Peter’s Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Harry Mitchell. She was a faithful member there until God placed it upon their hearts to move to Paradise Missionary Baptist Church in 1991 with Pastor Walter Proctor and the current pastor Dr. Edison Colbert Jr. She served faithfully as a member of the usher board, deacon’s wife and bereavement ministry. Her service to the church was a clear display of her love for Christ, she was a silent fisher of men. She invited others to Christ by how she chose to live her life, her ministry was a warm, welcoming smile and infectious laugh. She shared her wisdom with anyone who had a minute to sit and talk.
Elvina lived her life as a devoted wife and awesome mother. She enjoyed watching her kids grow and become responsible adults. Most importantly she enjoyed the gift being a grandmother. There was not a day that went by that she did not talk about at least one of her grandkids.
She was a dedicated worker in the housekeeping department of Saint Elizabeth Hospital for over 30 years until her health forced her to prematurely retire in 2009. She became a dialysis patient and later received a pacemaker, but she never allowed it to negatively impact her standard of living. She maintained a very independent life doing the things she loved most: visiting her daughter and grandkids in Nashville, fishing, and most of all being serving at her church. She coined the phrase (singing) “don’t worry about me, I am alright”. Even when it was obvious that she was not feeling well or in pain, her response remained the same until the moment she transitioned, when her husband asked if she was okay and she took her last breath sitting next to him. What a love story….
Elvina is survived by her husband of 52 years, Rodnis Fontenot, 3 children: Ventrus (LaTonja) Fontenot Sr. of Beaumont, TX, O’Mekao (Teremy) Banks of Nashville, TN and Denotura Fontenot of Nashville, TN. Grandchildren: Feondrea Bell of Texarkana, AK, Ventrus (Precious) Fontenot Jr. of Memphis, TN, Jamesha Burton of Memphis, TN, DeAndre Fontenot of Memphis, TN, Joshua Fontenot of Beaumont, TX, Teremy (Champ) Banks Jr. of Nashville, TN and Trystan Banks of Nashville, TN. 5 Great-Grandkids: Javarzion Moore, Gabriel Bell, Zalik Bell, X’zavion Fontenot and Trinity Fontenot. Siblings: Katherine Aclis of Ville Platte, LA, Mary (Kenneth) Toussaint, Ville Platte, LA, Debra Aclis of Oakdale, LA, Jeffery Aclis of Houston, TX and Jesse Aclis of Houston, TX. In-Laws: Margaret Gallow of Ville Platte, LA, L.D. (Pam) Fontenot of Houston, TX, Willie Boutte of Beaumont, TX, Jessie (Thomas) Hunter of Beaumont, TX, Jean Marie Johnson of Houston, TX and Jeanette Fontenot of Kansas City, MO and a host of nieces, nephews cousins and lifetime friends.