Earl Wayne O'Bannon

Funeral service for Earl Wayne O’Bannon will be at 10 am on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at the Provencal United Pentecostal Church with Bro. Paul Grace officiating. Burial will follow at Friendship Cemetery under the direction of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home. The family will receive friends after 5 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, at Provencal United Pentecostal Church located at 1851 LA-117, Provencal, LA 71468. Earl Wayne O’Bannon. A son, father, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and a friend. The kind of man you could always depend on. The kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back. The kind of man we all want to be. He loved his family and friends and they loved him. Earl Wayne passed away on Sunday, January 1, 2017, at approximately 10:00 p.m. after a very hard fought battle with stomach cancer. He was an avid fisherman, hunter and all around country boy. He was hard working, outgoing and free giving. He lived life to the fullest. He was a regular deer slayer and a self-proclaimed outlaw. If he spotted a hole with enough water in it, he would definitely make a trip back and catch the fish that is in it that no one else could catch. He was also very honored to be a Boat Captain for the NCHS Fishing Team and loved spending time with his nephew. He was basically just as crazy about hunting as he was fishing. Again, if he saw a spot that “looked good” he would return to hunt it. He had an awesome sense of direction, didn’t need or own a compass or GPS, it was a God given gift. He worked as hard as he played. He was a logger for the majority of his life. He could use a chainsaw as well as he could use a shotgun or a rifle. He was a good friend to many, many people. He touched many lives. If someone needed help, he was there. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends, acquaintances or anyone who knew him. Preceded by his paternal grandparents, Ruffin Wilson “Ruff” O’Bannon and Mae Bell Cobb O’Bannon and his maternal grandparents, Ed Howell and Audrey Mae McIlwain Howell, his aunts, Audrey Mae “Sudie” O’Bannon Broadway, Joy Lee Howell Thomasee and Rhonda Gayle Jordan Howell, and his uncle, Carroll Howell. Survived by his mother, Lena Mae Howell South, his father, Wilson Enoch “W.E.” O’Bannon and wife, Mary, his brothers, Jerry O’Bannon, Bruce O’Bannon and wife, Jan, Glen O’Bannon and wife, Melissa, his sister, Jeanette Jiles and husband Scott, his honorary brother, Lynn Oxley, and step-sister, Mary Davis. Survived by his children, Teri O’Bannon Watts and husband, Michael, Dustin O’Bannon, Megan Bell and husband, Matt, Trevor O’Bannon and his step-children, Kristen LaTour and husband, Clayton and Shane Bell and his grandchildren, Kellan and Micah Watts, Ella Marie Chism, and Jay, Dage, Lily and Jacob LaTour, and a host of nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Duke Thomas, Richard Pitts, Shane O’Bannon, Wade Stephens, Justin Tibbett and Phillip Gandy. The family would like to extend their gratitude to Johnny Jenkins and his family for their support and friendship, and special thank you to Sonya Ballard for her love and compassion. We would also like to thank Hospice of Natchitoches for their caring service.