Harvey Jerome Dupuy Sr.

Harvey Jerome Dupuy, Sr. died peacefully at home on May 8, 2017. He was 97 years old. Although his last years were marked by dementia, he knew the names and faces of the extended family and friends who loved and supported him. And ever gracious, he continually thanked them. Any story of Harvey’s life must also mention his wife of 71 years, Dorothy “Dot” Miremont Dupuy, who preceded him in death by a little over 10 months (or 312 days). They were married on January 27, 1945, and stayed together for what by any measure can be called a healthy lifetime. They were an inextricably-linked- and life-giving duo. Though Harvey’s short-term memory often failed him in his last years, even in his forgetfulness he remembered to call his beloved wife “a good person,” a “strong woman,” and “a good wife and mother.” Her loss left him alone with his best memories, which he must have relished privately, in the mystery of his vanishing time and memory. Harvey Jerome was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana, on November 16, 1919 to Celeste Lucille Dupuy (formerly Decareaux) and Sidney Dupuy, Sr. He grew up on both the St. Louis and Union Plantations near Plaquemine, the sixth of seven Dupuy children, four boys and three girls—all deceased (Sidney, Jr., Elmire (Sis) Belcher, Inez Richard, Roland, Edwin, Harvey and Iola York). He attended Louisiana State University, the first in his family to do so, and earned an education degree in mathematics before volunteering to enlist in the Navy and serving as one of the “Greatest Generation” during World War II. He asked Dot to marry him while stationed at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California. Dot travelled by train to San Pedro (accompanied by her sister whose job, assigned by Harvey’s future mother-in-law, was to assure they married!). Harvey shipped out a few days after the ceremony. Of course at that time, he and Dot had only infrequent contact during the remainder of the war. Lt. JG Harvey Dupuy served as captain of the LSM 452 in the Pacific. Among his many trials in the Pacific theatre, he safely steered the ship and crew through Typhoon Louise on October 9, 1945. One of his shipmates wrote in his log: “The wind and the blackness of the Typhoon increased to a high pitch by noon.… The wind was clocked at 100 knots an hour. Then it happened. The merchant ship ‘Cedar Rapids’ collided with us.… Under the guidance of the Captain, we made the night without any[more] collisions. This was done by a figure eight, in which the Captain marked by a buoy and an anchored ship.…The total ships sunk or beached on the rocks were counted to be 148….[The Captain’s] outstanding seamanship kept us afloat.” He and his crew also deployed marines to occupy Nagasaki after the dropping of the atomic bomb. After the war, Harvey returned to LSU on the GI bill to earn a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He began work with Standard Oil of California (Calco), which became Chevron, moving his growing family between Venice, Barataria, Lafayette, and New Orleans, Louisiana. He stayed with Chevron until 1984, when he retired as Chief Engineer for the Eastern Region. Early in his career, he broke all of the fingers on his left hand in an offshore rig accident, losing the middle finger to amputation. Typical of his lively sense of humor, he entertained his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids with the missing finger, often pretending he had pulled it off his hand and presenting to them the remaining stump—to the great bewilderment of some and the great joy of most others! His son, Harvey, Jr., followed him into the field of petroleum engineering and often notes that “the first offshore rig was drilled off the coast of Louisiana in 1947, and a Dupuy has been a part of the production of offshore oil and gas since 1948.” It seemed that everyone in the oil patch knew Harvey Dupuy—“Mr. Harvey,” or “Harvee Dupee” (as some liked to say)—and he, for his part, had the uncanny ability to recall nearly anyone’s name, even in his last months. And not only remember the name, but also recall a story about them. He brought a strong blend of competence, compassion, and warmth to a sometimes hard-edged and competitive business world. He took up golf in his early forties, and it quickly became another love of his life, playing in nearly every Lafayette Oil Man’s Tournament at Oakbourne Country Club and Muny—the city course of Lafayette. Like many golfers, he often had a wicked slice, and he would yell after the ever-receding ball: “Come back, baby, all is forgiven!“ Rarely did the Dupuy family get together without a golf game as part of their time together. He was an inveterate sports fan, following in The Times-Picayune or The Daily Advertiser (and later the New Orleans Advocate) the LSU Tigers, the New Orleans Saints, or any of a number of PGA tour golfers, especially those from Louisiana. Like his own mother and father, Harvey and Dot had seven children, four sons and three daughters. They include Jerrie Jean Earthman of Houston (married to Donald Earthman); Jessie Pauline “Polly” Ellerton of Denver (married to John James Ellerton); Harvey Jerome Dupuy, Jr., of Houston (married to Renee Marie Baudier); Deborah Annette Giglio of Lafayette (married to Joseph C. Giglio, Jr.); Michael John Dupuy of Phoenix (married to Shelley Kinnerup); Edward Joseph Dupuy of San Antonio (married to Jan Fluitt); and John Roy Dupuy of Los Angeles. Two children, Polly and John, died in 1994, a difficult time for any parent, but especially for one to whom family meant everything. After his retirement, Harvey and Dot travelled—to Alaska, to Europe, to the homes of their many children and grandchildren, and often to New York City to see Dot’s aged aunts in Jackson Heights. In their later years, Harvey and Dot were active members of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, especially enjoying the SAGES (Saint Andrews’ Gregarious Elders) and attending Mass regularly. Harvey took on the gleeful role of Santa Claus (and was quite convincing) for many years at the Christmas party for the retired Marianites of Holy Cross. He and Dot were also supporters and friends of the monks of St. Joseph Abbey, where Dot and John are buried side-by-side.
Harvey will be remembered for his gracious hospitality, his sharp mathematical brain (even into his late 90s) and his endearing smile. The day before he died, when he told his family that he “didn’t think he could feel any worse,” he was thanking his caregivers and nurses with generosity, warmth, and his trademark charming smile. The family wishes to express their gratitude to all his caregivers, particularly those who stayed with him during Dot’s sickness and after her death: Alma Hurlston, Silvia Galeano, and Carmen Zalaya. They also wish to thank Marie Amadee, whose unwavering love and support of both Harvey and Dot—and her countless visits to them both—make her a kind of special eighth child.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the Abbey Church of Saint Joseph Abbey, near Covington, Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Saint Joseph Abbey Flood Relief Fund, 75376 River Road, St. Benedict, LA 70457, or at http://www.saintjosephabbey.com/helptheabbey/ . Grandchildren and great grandchildren: From Jerrie and Donald Earthman, Houston Christopher and Kathleen Earthman, Paul Earthman, Matthew Earthman, Thomas Earthman, Andrew Earthman, Elizabeth Earthman, Eric and Susanne Earthman, Emma Earthman, Avery Earthman, Gannon Earthman, Annie Earthman, Kathryn and Nick Thomson; From Polly and John James Ellerton, Denver, Bret and Sonya Ellerton, David Ellerton, Stephanie Ellerton; From Harvey, Jr., and Renee Dupuy, Houston, Harvey, III, “Tre” and Kelli Dupuy, Kate Irene Dupuy, James Dylan Dupuy, Trinity Dupuy; From Debbie and Joe Giglio, Lafayette, Joseph C., III, and Peggy Giglio, Charlie Giglio, Kellen Giglio, Kathryn and Lance Strother, Maddy Strother, Landon Strother, Gracie Strother, Lori and Shawn Carter, Isabel Carter, Callie Carter, David and Brooke Giglio, Caroline Giglio, Owen Giglio, Andrew Giglio, Elizabeth Giglio, Linda and Derek Forman, Gabriel Foreman, Clare Foreman, Anna Grace Foreman; From Michael and Jan Dupuy (div), Phoenix, Michael Dupuy, Jr., and Jennifer Cummings Dupuy, Taylor and Christelle Dupuy, Elizabeth and Taylor Alan-Lee; From Michael Dupuy and Shelley Kinnerup, Phoenix, Tyler Kinnerup; From Edward and Jan Dupuy, San Antonio, Benjamin Evan Dupuy, Madeleine Miremont Dupuy and James Bradford, John Laurence Dupuy.