Pichard Rosary service

photos © Mark M. Hancock for The Texas Catholic

Siblings (clockwise from top left) Phil Pichard, Monsignor Larry Pichard, Denise Snider and Annette Foster pose for a portrait with a photo of their late mother Mary Condel Pichard at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Dallas before a Rosary mass on Sunday, April 19, 2009.


Photos celebrate the life of Mary Condel Pichard at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Dallas. Mary Condel Pichard was part of the founding families of St. Pius X Catholic Church and actively supported the church throughout her adult life.


Attendees celebrate the life of Mary Pichard during a Rosary service at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Mary Condel Pichard was born on Feb. 28, 1917 and died on Thursday, April 16, 2009.


Attendees celebrate the life of Mary Pichard during a Rosary service at St. Pius X Catholic Church.


Monsignor Larry Pichard joins family members during a Rosary service for their late mother Mary Pichard at St. Pius X Catholic Church.


A portrait of Mary Condel Pichard oversees a Rosary service at St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Family grieves again

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Ja'nella Harmon (left) weeps as she learns that her mother Ruby Lee Ceasar-Harmon isn't in the correct grave at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Beaumont on Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

Please read, "Gravesite dispute grieves family" by Heather Nolan.

Ernie Holmes funeral

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Pall bearers support each other following funeral services for two-time Super Bowl champion Ernie Holmes at Jasper High School in Jasper on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008.
Holmes was one of the NFL's greatest defensive linemen on the Pittsburgh's famed Steel Curtain. Many funeral attendees shaved their hair into the arrow Holmes wore when he played. While down in his stance, the arrow pointed at the opposing team's quarterback.


Pall bearers place the casket of two-time Super Bowl champion Ernie Holmes into a hearse following funeral services at Jasper High School. Holmes died in a single-car accident near Lumberton.

Please read, "Ernie Holmes went from feared to revered..." by Fred Davis.

Pimp C funeral

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Friends and family attend the funeral service of UGK rapper Chad "Pimp C" Butler at Robert A. Bob Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007. Hundreds of fans braved the cold and rain to attend and pay their respects to the rapper and his family.


Video © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Friends, family and fans gather for the funeral service of rapper Chad "Pimp C" Butler in Port Arthur on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007. Video features brief after-funeral interviews with Diamond White, Nickey Ephriam, Clarence Griffin and DJ Bird.

Please read "Pimp C Funeral" by Fred Davis.

In Memoriam: Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Windshield posters remind Patriot Guard riders why they ride as family and friends arrive at Cornerstone Church before funeral services for U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris in Liberty on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007. The Marine was killed by a roadside bomb in the Al Anbar province of Iraq during combat operations.


Police and Patriot Guard riders prepare before funeral services for Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris at Cornerstone Church. After surviving a roadside blast, Burris pulled two other Marines to safety from the damaged vehicle.


Patriot Guard riders assemble before funeral services for Lance Cpl. Jeremy W. Burris at Cornerstone Church. After saving fellow Marines, Burris returned to collect equipment when a second blast took his life.

Please read, "...Marine returned to Liberty" by Christine Rappleye.

Spc. Kamisha Jane Block

photos & music by Mark M. Hancock / photos © The Beaumont Enterprise

U.S. Army Spc. Kamisha Jane Block, 20, of Vidor died on August 16, 2007 while serving as a military police officer in an area north of Baghdad, Iraq. She is the first female soldier from Southeast Texas to die in the line of duty.

Please read "...Tears still flow at funeral" by Mike D. Smith and see the Guest Book.

PFC Brandon Keith Bobb

PFC Brandon Keith Bobb's brother J.J. Bobb (right) talks during funeral services at the Church of Christ in Port Arthur on Saturday, July 28, 2007. PFC Bobb died July 17, 2007 in Iraq when an improvised explosive device exploded under a Humvee.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise



PFC Brandon Keith Bobb's cousin Ashley Bobb recomposes during the funeral service at the Church of Christ.



Michael Bobb gives a hug to Paula Bobb-Miles, mother of PFC Brandon Keith Bobb, during funeral services at the Church of Christ.


Paula Bobb-Miles, mother of PFC Brandon Keith Bobb, receives her son's medals from Brigadier General Robert Hipwell during funeral services at the Church of Christ in Port Arthur. PFC Bobb was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.



U.S. Army pall bearers carry the body of PFC Brandon Keith Bobb out of the Church of Christ in Port Arthur after services.




Video © Mark M. Hancock

Video fades in from black. Click play button to begin.

Please read, "Pfc. Brandon Bobb eulogized..." by Rose Ybarra.

Jarrah Yvette Davis funeral

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Rhonda Davis, mother of Jarrah Yvette Davis, hugs friends and family outside following funeral services for her daughter at Paradise Baptist Church in Beaumont on Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Jarrah Yvette Davis, 20, and Tamera J. Antoine, 27, were slain at the Cardinal Square apartment complex last week.


Best friends Billie Buckley and Vanessa Bush cry over the open casket of Jarrah Yvette Davis during her funeral at Paradise Baptist Church in Beaumont. Beaumont Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Please read, "Mourners recall better days..." by Dee Dixon.

Lisa Beaulieu funeral

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Beaumont police officer Crystal Holmes repairs flower wreaths before the funeral service for Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu at Oak Bluff Cemetery in Port Neches on Monday, April 30, 2007. Beaulieu died after she was struck by a vehicle while covering a major wreck.


The badge of Beaumont police Staff Sgt. Tim Ocnaschek is covered during the funeral service for Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu. The cover reads, "Nemo me impune lacesit." In Latin it means "No one attacks me with impunity."



Patriot Guard riders escort the body of Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu during the funeral service for at Oak Bluff Cemetery.


Police pall bearers carry the coffin of Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu during funeral service for her at Oak Bluff Cemetery.


A Beaumont Police Department honor guard presents arms during the funeral service for Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu.


Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu's mother Gloria Prince (right) and stepfather Gary Prince (left) react as Beaulieu's badge number is retired during her funeral.



Beaumont police officer Rick Boaz (center) and other officers salute during the funeral service for Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu.


Sgt. Josey Johnson III with the Texas State Guard plays Taps during the funeral service for Beaumont police officer Lisa Beaulieu at Oak Bluff Cemetery in Port Neches.

Grief for beloved Marine

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Sandra Rylander Martin encourages attendees to sing during the funeral service for her son, Brandon Keith Rylander, at McKinley Avenue Baptist Church in Beaumont on Wednesday, March 14, 2007. Brandon Rylander, a former Marine, was killed March 7 in a head-on collision with a driver who was fleeing police.


Friends and family assist Sandra Rylander Martin after she collapsed during the funeral service for her son, Brandon Keith Rylander, at McKinley Avenue Baptist Church in Beaumont. Rylander's stepfather is Beaumont police officer James Martin.

Please read Family, friends of former Marine applaud his life by Dee Dixon.

Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart funeral

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Patriot Guard members prepare for the funeral of Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart at the First Baptist Church of Kountze in Kountze, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 26 2006. Spc. Winegeart was serving his third deployment in Iraq when he died. He was posthumously given the rank of sergeant.


Law enforcement officials ensure unlawful protests wouldn't happen during the funeral of Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart at the First Baptist Church of Kountze.
Members of a Kansas church planned to protest at the funeral. However, a city ordinance requires a peaceful protest permit application at least two days before the planned protest date. The church hadn't applied for the permit by the deadline for the funeral.


Patriot Guard members form a barrier to protect mourners from potential protesters at the First Baptist Church of Kountze during the funeral of Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart. The Houston Patriot Guard group was halted en route by severe weather.


An honor guard detachment of the 5th Special Forces Ranger Group of the U.S. Army march through the rain of Hurricane Paul into position during the funeral of Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart at the First Baptist Church of Kountze. Sgt. Winegeart was serving with the 5th Special Forces Ranger Group when he died in Iraq.


An honor guard detachment of the 5th Special Forces Ranger Group stands guard in the rains of Hurricane Paul during the funeral of Sgt. Daniel W. Winegeart at the First Baptist Church of Kountze.

Please read the story about the funeral by F.A. Krift. Please also read a statement from Terri Sue Winegeart, Sgt. Winegeart's mother, and "Mother mourns soldier she says never lost smile" by F.A. Krift.
 

Patriot Guard Riders

Renee Simons of Lampasas, Texas prepares her bike as a Patriot Guard Rider in the Home Depot parking lot in Beaumont on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2006. More than 200 riders from Texas and Louisiana provided a barrier for the family of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. from eight protestors from a Baptist church in Kansas.

Photos © Mark M. Hancock / NewsEagles


Patriot Guard Riders gather in the Home Depot parking lot before they ride to honor the soldier killed in Iraq.


Motorcycle riders wearing different club colors combine to form the Patriot Guard Riders as they listen to ride instructions before the funeral in Beaumont.


Patriot Guard Riders listen to ride instructions before riding from the Home Depot parking lot to the funeral of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. in Beaumont.


Carrie Johnson of Orange waits for other Patriot Guard Riders to arrive in the Home Depot parking lot.


Renee Simons of Lampasas, Texas reflects on her gas tank as she prepares her bike as a Patriot Guard Rider in the Home Depot parking lot.


Patriot Guard Riders fill most of the Home Depot parking lot before riding to the funeral of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr.


Milton McKinney of Houston (left) helps orchestrate the Patriot Guard Riders as they leave to provide a barrier of honor.


Military veterans within the Patriot Guard Riders line the road with American flags to provide a barrier to honor the family of the fallen soldier.


Patriot Guard Riders provide a barrier to honor as family and friends arrive for the funeral.


Patriot Guard Riders reflect off vehicles as they provide a barrier on both sides of the road to honor the family of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. as his family and friends arrive before the funeral.


Patriot Guard Riders place their hands over their hearts as the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. arrive before his funeral.


Patriot Guard Riders provide a barrier to honor before the funeral.


Patriot Guard Riders provide a barrier to honor the family of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. before his funeral in Beaumont.

Please see additional photos at Fayrouz's Chaldean Thoughts blog and/or read "Solemn salute to Southeast Texan who died in Iraq" by Christine Rappleye and "Counterprotesters outnumber funeral picketers from Kansas" by Rolando Garcia.
 

A sad homecoming

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

The Coussou family of Beaumont shows support at the Beaumont Municipal Athletic Complex as the body of Staff Sgt. Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. travels down Highway 90 in Beaumont en route to Port Arthur on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006.

Please read "As defender of flag returns home beneath it, Beaumont police brace for funeral protesters" by Rolando Garcia and Jennifer Avilla and help support this honorable family.