Coty Reginald Dupré, Sr.

April 25, 1927 - January 9, 2022

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at a 10:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Lafayette for Coty Reginald Dupre’, Sr., age 94, who died peacefully surrounded by his wife, loving family, and his caretaker on Sunday, January 9, 2022, in Lafayette, La. The Dupre' family will receive visitors at Martin & Castille's SOUTHSIDE location on Wednesday from 8:00 AM Wednesday until 9:30 AM. Interment will follow in Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery in Opelousas, La. Reverend Connor Poirrier, Parochial Vicar, will be Celebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct the funeral services. Homilist will be Reverend James Brady, JCL, Pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church. Giftbearers will be Renee Dupre' Dugan, Ellione Comeaux, Amily Castro, Dana Ehrenwerth, Katy Dupre', Haley Thevis, Caroline Merryman and Ava Dupre'. Survivors include his wife of 72 years, Wilda Chachere Dupre’, five children, Coty Reggie (Marie) Dupre’ of Opelousas, La., Roland Kent (Janet) Dupre’ of Henderson, NV and Lafayette, La., Mitzi Gail Dupre’ of Lafayette, La., Mary Kay Dupre’ of Lafayette, La., and Dawn Marie (James) Merryman of Lafayette, La.; his grandchildren, Renee Dupre' Dugan, Ellione Comeaux (Brian), Amily Castro (Jarred), Dominic Dupre’ (Mollye), Dana Ehrenwerth (Justin), Seth Dupre’ (Lorlee), Katy Dupre’, Reece Merryman, Haley Thevis (Hunter), and Caroline Merryman. Additionally, Mr. Dupre’ is survived by nine great grandchildren, Patrick Dugan, Katherine Dugan, Charles Ehrenwerth, Louis Ehrenwerth, Ava Dupre’, Coty Comeaux, Emma Kate Dupre’, Edith Dupre’, and Perry Dupre’; one brother, Bobby Dupre’ (longtime companion Vicky) of Opelousas, La.; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cornelius Dupre’ and Jeannette Ortego Dupre’; one brother, John Raburn Dupre’, Sr., and one niece, Simone Dupre’. Coty was born in Mondeville, near Grand Prairie, Louisiana, on April 25, 1927. His father, Cornelius Dupre’, arrived in Louisiana as one of the many “orphan train" children from New York. Coty graduated from Grand Prairie High School in 1944 and thereafter enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17. He served as Seaman 1st Class on the USS Topeka and saw duty in Japan, China and other Pacific theaters. Subsequent to the war, Coty attended SLI (ULL) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Agriculture in 1950. That same year Coty married Wilda Chachere on March 19 and their matrimony endured 72 glorious years, producing five children. Shortly after their marriage, Coty began his business career with FHA originating and closing farm loans. After three years, Coty began his 35 year career with Canal Refining Company starting as a sales person. He was promoted to general sales manager and shortly thereafter became Vice President. Ultimately, he became President and served in this capacity for many years. His goal was to make Canal a strong independent in the downstream oil and gas business and through his vision and unique marketing style he achieved this goal with tremendous success. Many Acadiana residents certainly remember the Canal television commercials featuring Coty promoting the Canal brand and other sundry products. In 1988 he retired from Canal, transitioning his career into the transportation/logistics industry serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Dupre’ Logistics. Coty’s business acumen and genuine style of building business relationships proved invaluable to Dupre’ Logistics. Beyond his business endeavors, he was instrumental in numerous organizations in the Acadiana community. He was one of the original organizers of 1st National Bank of Opelousas which ultimately became an entity of JP Morgan Chase. Coty was a devout Catholic and served on the St. Landry Parish Church Council and later as President. He was a member of the Elks Club Lodge 45 in Opelousas, served on the Greater Port of Krotz Springs Board, and was a lifetime member of the American Legion. He was a member of numerous oil and gas industry organizations including LOMA, Independent Refining Association, and National Petroleum Refining Association. Aside from his numerous career achievements, Coty was a loving father and mentor to his children and friends as well. He was an avid outdoorsman, and loved to hunt, fish, and golf with his family and friends. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. A constant theme through Coty’s life was kindness, generosity, integrity, honesty, compassion, understanding, and goodness. These personality traits were formed early in life and remained steadfast throughout Coty’s life. As Dennis Prager once quoted, “Goodness is about character-integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people”. Coty embodied all of that and more…..that will be his legacy. Pallbearers will be Seth Dupre’, Dominic Dupre’, Reece Merryman, Brian Comeaux, Justin Ehrenwerth, and Hunter Thevis. Honorary pallbearer will be Jarred Castro. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be sent to Hope for Opelousas (330 E. Madison, Opelousas, La, 70570), Orphan Train Society, Inc. P.O. Box 729, Opelousas,La. 70571 or the charity of your choice. The Dupre' family extends a heartfelt appreciation to the caregivers with Senior Helpers and Heart of Hospice for the compassionate care and support they gave. View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com Martin & Castille-SOUTHSIDE-600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, LA 70508, 337-984-2811