Obituary of Kotch Guillory
Alphonse “Kotch” Guillory, of Elton, LA, passed away Saturday, October 5, 2019, at the Southwest Louisiana War Veteran’s Home in Jennings, LA. He was 92. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Elton. Father Jose Vattakunnil will officiate. Military honors will follow in Old St. Paul Cemetery. Visitation will begin at Reed Funeral Home of Kinder from 9 to 12:30, October 8, 2019. A Rosary will be said at 1:00 at the Church.
Kotch was born on November 21, 1926, in Kinder, LA, oldest of six children. He spent his formative years as a farm laborer and working odd jobs, including working at the Kinder train station loading baggage for tips. In 1943 when his country called, Kotch answered and joined the US Army. He was only 16. He served in the WWII conflict with the rank Private First Class with the 185th Infantry Division on the Pacific front. His occupational specialty was Radio Operator and he had military qualifications as a rifle sharpshooter. Kotch fought in the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Luzon, and during the liberation of the Southern Philippines. He was decorated with an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 4 bronze stars, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 2 bronze stars, a Good Conduct Medal with 1 clasp, and a WWII Victory Medal.
Upon his return home, Kotch worked with Ardoin Funeral Home in Kinder, LA, as an ambulance driver and later as mortician for 6 years. In 1952, he moved his young family from Kinder to Elton, where he worked for the Bel Oil Company for 10 years until its closure. Kotch then went to work for the Jeff Davis Parish’s Sheriff’s Office, where he served 22 years as Deputy Sheriff, retiring in 1980. He went back to work at PPG in Westlake as a security guard for 10 years, retiring in 1990. His last job was with Istre Monuments selling cemetery supplies and equipment. He owned and managed rental properties for 30 years. Kotch served many terms as an alderman for the City of Elton with the Elton Town Council. He was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church and served on the St. Paul Council. In 2014 he moved to Brookdale Assisted Living in Lake Charles in where he spent 6 years, several as Resident Ambassador, negotiating resident complaints with management, before moving for a short time to the War Veteran’s Home in Jennings, where he passed.
Kotch’s legacy is one of service to the communities in which he lived. Whether as a part of local government agencies or in his personal life, he was a loving, kind, and compassionate man whose greatest enjoyment in life was helping those who could not help themselves. He had a green thumb and loved to make things grow. He had a razor-sharp sense of humor and a personality that was larger than life. No one who met him would ever forget him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mathis “Chaulk” and JoAnna Marcantel Guillory of Kinder, LA; wife, Madeline Buller Guillory; brothers, Davis Guillory of Kinder; Sidney Guillory of Lake Charles; and grandson, Michael Hill.
Kotch is survived by a brother, “Jimmy” Lloyd Guillory and wife Sue of Kinder; two sisters, Ruby Pierce of Kinder, and JoEllen “Tootie” Chaumont of Oberlin; his three sons, Kenneth Wayne Guillory and wife Barbara of Lake Charles; Randy Paul Guillory of Westlake; Charles Reginald (Reggie) Guillory and wife Patricia of Lake Charles. Mr. Guillory had seven grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.reedfuneralhomeofkinder.com
