To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Louisiana Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Louisiana, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 3/29/19 • Approved: 3/30/19 • Last Updated: 12/9/23 • R215490-G0-S3
December 18, 1933 - June 14, 2018
West Monroe - Funeral Services for James O. "Sonny" Avant, 84, of West Monroe, LA, will be held at 2:00 P.M., Sunday, June 17, 2018, in the chapel of Mulhearn Funeral Home, West Monroe, LA, with Rev. Scott Fletcher officiating. Interment will follow in Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe, LA.
Mr. James O. "Sonny" Avant was born December 18, 1933, and passed away June 14, 2018.
Our dad's thoughts about his life; "I was born and raised on the Avant Road. My daddy was a dairyman and I followed in his footsteps. I owned and operated the largest dairy farm in Louisiana from 1962 to 1980. I milked about 600 cows during this time. Politics in Louisiana caused me to quit milking cows. I also drove a school bus for 10 years, and served on the Ouachita Parish Police Jury for one term in which I was the youngest person ever to be elected to the Police Jury. I was 26 years old when I was elected. While serving my four year term was when I moved to Rayville, where I milked the 600 cows. I purchased the dairy farm from my uncle, O.C. Avant, who was my daddy's brother, in 1962. Uncle O.C. Avant lived on the dairy farm until he passed away in 1969. If I ever worshipped one of my daddy's relatives, it was O.C. Avant."
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Jennie Avant; his wife, Martha Ann Avant; and sister, Sis Carter.
Survivors include his children, Georgia "Poodle" Brown and husband Jason and their daughter, Mollea, James "Bubba" Avant, Rhonda Fowler and fiancé Peter Hill, Pam Avant Savage and husband Thomas and Cindy Avant and partner Sharon; nephew, Pistol Carter and wife Heather; niece, Sara Avant Woodcock; and special neighbor and friend, Linda O'Bannon.
Pallbearers will be Pistol Carter, Jimmy Brown, Wade McKay, Wade Salter, Scotty Bennett and Kurt May.
Honorary Pallbearers will be all former employees of Avant Dairy Farm.
Visitation will be held from 12:30 P.M. until service time on Sunday.
Contributed on 3/29/19 by debbraszymanski
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 215490