LACOUR, Gartward Mark
December 4, 1927 - April 18, 2021
Gartward Mark LaCour was born in the Cane River community of Isle Brevelle, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. He was the third son of Ednis Joseph LaCour and Della Theresa (LaBomme) LaCour. Friends called him “Gart.” He attended high school in Natchitoches and graduated in May of 1946. He enlisted in the Army and honorably served his country during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
Following his stint in the Army, Gart moved away from the family farm on Cane River, to Los Angeles, California where he met his future wife, Muriel Ann Duvernay. Gart and Muriel were married in July of 1955 and were eventually blessed with six children.
Gart started his lifelong career as an auto mechanic at West Adams Chevrolet in Los Angeles, California. Children arrived in quick succession and the family moved to larger, new home in Torrance, California in 1962. Not long after moving to Torrance, Gart found employment at auto dealerships closer to home. Eventually, he went into business for himself with a Union 76 gasoline station franchise on Western Avenue. Gart made many friends over the years and these friends followed him to the business as customers who trusted his skill and honesty.
After raising all six children in Torrance, Gart and Muriel retired to Temecula, California, where they spent their golden years tending the garden and hosting visits from their children and grandchildren. Gart liked hunting and fishing, bowling, walking his dog and tending his fruit trees. And, while he lived most of his life in Southern California, he never stopped calling Cane River “home.”
Gart was preceded in death by his parents, Ednis and Della; his wife of 64 years, Muriel; his siblings, Severine LaCour Gallion, Berchman LaCour, Robert LaCour and Maxine LaCour Rachal. He is survived by his six children, Gartward and wife Terry; Lance and wife Duc; Cindy; Barry and wife Miche; Neal and wife Daisy; Sedley and husband Dave. Grandchildren include Charlotte, Tyson, Fontaine, Carly, Angelina, Vanessa, Peter, Breanna, Orion, Sienna, Karinna, Nathaniel, Analise and Gabriel.