Dr. Gerald Joseph "Jerry" DeRouen

DR. GERALD JOSEPH "JERRY" DEROUEN, 67, native of south Louisiana, resident of North Little Rock, died Thursday, July 3, 2014. His family and friends mourn his passing and will celebrate his life and honor his memory with a Catholic Mass and memorial service held at a later date. Final Interment will be in St. John Cemetery in Lafayette, La. Jerry was born in New Iberia on Jan. 7, 1947, to the late Lucius Joseph DeRouen and Olita Mae LaBiche. He was a 1963 graduate of New Iberia High, a 1972 graduate of University of Southwestern Louisiana and a 1976 graduate of Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport. He served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1970. After graduating from medical school he completed a pediatric residency in New Orleans and subsequently became Chief of Pediatrics at South Louisiana Medical Center in Houma. He later established private practices in Houma, Raceland and eventually Lafayette. He was passionate about the art of medicine and treated his young patients with tremendous love, humor and respect. He was true to their needs and those of their families — and they loved and adored him. He will be remembered by his family and friends for his intellect, imagination, insight, steadfast devotion to his profession and of course, his lively, charming personality. He took great delight in his children and their families. Their happiness, above everything, was his greatest pleasure, pride and joy. Those who knew and loved Jerry appreciated his fearless sense of adventure, brilliant sense of humor and intense joie de vivre. Jerry DeRouen knew no stranger. He was an avid reader and sports fan with an uncanny memory for all sports-related trivia, an inspired writer — and occasionally a world-class practical joker. He will be dearly missed and remembered lovingly by all whose lives he touched. He is survived by his four children and their families: Jeannie DelGreco, husband Anthony, and their children Nicolas and Lucia of Lafayette; Leita Schiemann and husband Dylan, daughters Maria and Greta Reyna and son, Otto of Phoenix, Ariz.; Camille Clark and husband Stuart and their daughter, Jeanne Kathryn, of Shreveport; and his one son, Jeremy DeRouen of Phoenix. He also leaves the mother of his children, Bonnie Carret DeRouen; and three siblings, Mrs. Catherine Boudreaux (husband, Mac), brothers, Dr. Mark DeRouen (wife, Sandra) and Msgr. Keith DeRouen. Additionally, he is survived by his godmother, Janette Louviere Cochran; his aunts, Theresa LaBiche Collins, Annie Lee LaBiche Bourgeois, Marie Comeaux; and one uncle, Whitney LaBiche (wife, Mary Ellen). He is also survived by many cousins; nephews and nieces; and his companion, Jill McKenna, of Little Rock. Online obituary and guest book may be viewed at http://memorial.yourtribute.com/jerryderouen. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, c/o Voluntary Services-Palliative Care Department, 135-NLR, 4300 West 7th Street, Little Rock, Ark., 72205, where he was cared for beautifully in his last week of life.