Louis Francis Matta Sr

Louis Francis Matta Sr. peacefully entered eternal life on Saturday, February 9 at the age of 89. He was surrounded by his loved ones after a long, hard-fought battle with lung cancer spanning up to twenty-two months. He was happily married to his beloved wife, Paulette Damare Matta, for thirty years. He was the father of Louis Matta Jr., Viviana Matta, Kai Matta, Mary Bryant (Don), John Matta, Theresa Bordelon (Robert), Joseph Matta and Nicholas Matta. He is survived by eight grandchildren: Paul Baudier (Amanda), Timothy Baudier (Holly), Michael Richards, Harper Richards, Ashli Matta, Nicole Usey (Jonathan), Sofia Bordelon (Nicholas) and Emma Bordelon. He is survived by five great grandchildren: Andrew Baudier, Penelope Baudier, Asia Baudier, Montgomery Richards and Nolan Thibodeaux. He is survived by two siblings: Alfonso Matta (Carolyn) and Margaret Naluai (Clayton). He was preceded in death by three siblings: Dione Lau, Nydia Matta (Sister Marie Therese, C.S.J.) and Mark Anthony Matta. He will be remembered for the endless dedication and strength he gave for his family.

Louis was born on April 16, 1929 in Los Angeles, CA. While attending Mount Carmel High School, he fostered a love for track and field that would last him a lifetime. Through endless amounts of hard work, he would go on to become the Catholic League Champion in the 100m sprint, setting a new record that would not be touched for years. Only after he coached his younger brother, Al, did that record change. This was one of his proudest achievements and one that would lead him to coach and teach others for years to come.

Perhaps more than anything else, Louis believed in hard work. For those he coached, he ensured that they would be instilled with the sense of discipline that he grew up with so that they could be as successful as they wanted to be. Louis was endlessly dedicated to those he cared about and made sure they had all of the necessary support and resources to make their dreams come true. Eventually, Louis taught beyond sports and opened a family business in New Orleans titled The Furniture Dr. It was there that Louis taught his son, John, the beauty of furniture restoration and together they ran the business for over two decades. Over the years, many family members would go on to work with Louis and learn from his direction.

In his time away from work, Louis loved to spend time outdoors. He was an enthusiastic fisherman and collected hundreds of fishing poles. He also loved to collect different tobacco pipes which would accompany him in his time spent outdoors. He would spend many of his last family vacations fishing with his family, often teaching them tricks of the trade to help them catch like he did. This helped to bring him peace.

Louis was a dedicated fan of Notre Dame Football and found inspiration in many of the old folklore of the Fighting Irish such as the story of the Gipper. He also cheered for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans alongside his family.

His family would like to express gratitude for the care he received from the nurses and aides of Hospice care as well as his doctors and nurses at EJGH. The family would like to especially thank Dr. Cattie and Dr. Udhrain for their excellent guidance and support throughout Louis’ fight against cancer. The family would also like to express deep gratitude for his caretaker: Nicole Cucinello-Bertus.

Relatives and friends are invited to Tharp-Sontheimer-Tharp Funeral Home at 1600 N. Causeway Blvd, Metairie, LA on Thursday, February 14, 2019 for Louis final services. Visitation will begin at 10A.M. followed by mass at noon. Interment at Greenwood Cemetery at 5190 Canal Blvd, New Orleans, LA. Condolences may be expressed online at www.tharpsontheimerfh.com. Information call 835-2341.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Louis Francis Matta Sr, please visit our floral store.