Anita Valoise Miller Bourgeois

Our beautiful and beloved mother, Anita Valoise Miller Bourgeois, 95, was called home to her Heavenly Father on Friday, December 27, 2024. With her husband of 76 years, A.J. Bourgeois, by her side, she passed peacefully in her Texas City home, where she was being cared for by her daughters and a family friend after a brief hospitalization.

Anita was born on November 11, 1929, in Midway, Louisiana, and raised in nearby Jena. After graduating from Jena High School, she attended business college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and worked for Acme Freight. It was in Baton Rouge at the age of 18 that she met and fell in love with her LSU-loving cajun and life-long partner, A.J. They were married on September 5, 1948, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They started their married life in the garage apartment of A.J.'s aunt and uncle's house, before building their own home. In 1962, they moved to Texas City when A.J. started working for Monsanto.

Anita's devotion to her family, friends, volunteer organizations, church and faith was exemplary. Whether she was a caring mother to her children or neighborhood kids, or a loving aunt to her many nieces and nephews, she always tried to make it a fun memory. Her years as one of the dedicated Texas City Girl Scout Moms left an inspirational impression on "her girls" to this very day.

She was a member of the St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church Altar Society (St. Thomas group) and served faithfully as the church's Bereavement Ministry Chairman from 2010 to 2019, always enlisting the help of each of the nine different altar society groups in rotation. Anita loved the camaraderie of the annual altar society potluck and she was "religious" about sharing her pineapple casserole at the event through the years.

She LOVED looking at recipes, collecting recipes, trying out recipes, and sharing dishes with friends and family! It didn't matter if it was at her famous cookie exchanges, casual coffees, nightly meals, back porch dinners or family crab boils, Anita loved to entertain. She was a member of Texas City's "Hi Neighbor" recipe exchange group. Through the years, the eighteen ladies in her "B&B Sewing Group" shared many hours of laughter, luncheons, dinners, excursions.........and very little sewing!

Anita could be found daily cultivating her gardens and flower beds where she grew beautiful roses, hibiscus, day lilies, begonias, and hummingbird plants from her mother's yard. She especially treasured her 'Belinda" rose bush.

As a civic minded volunteer, she was a member of the Texas City La Marque Chamber of Commerce Golden Division for many years and also enjoyed her membership in the Amoco Platinum Club.

Anita was preceded in death by her mother, Eva Gertrude Lewis Miller, and father, Jesse Samuel Miller, as well as by her brothers and sisters, J.D. Miller, Jesse S. "Pill" Miller, Alice Miller Evans Pipes, Vernita "Sweet" Miller Alexander, and Eva Gertrude Miller Graves. She grieved the loss of her beloved son-in-law, Arthur Paul Amato, earlier this year.

Besides her beloved husband, A.J., she is survived by her three children: daughter, Belinda Bourgeois Amato of Slidell, Louisiana; daughter, Debra Bourgeois DesMarteau (Steve) of Centennial, Colorado; son, Kenneth Bourgeois (Carmen) of Spring Hill, Tennessee. Anita leaves 10 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren: Brandon Amato (Mandy) (Izzy, Max, Rex); Greg Amato (Ana) (Ceci, Elena); Jason Amato (Kelsey) (Bowen, Josephine); Patrick DesMarteau (Ashlyn) (Grady, Callan, Tara); Matthew DesMarteau (Melinda); Eric DesMarteau; Sean DesMarteau (Ellesse) (Avery, Tyler); John Bourgeois (Ezekiel, Jaxon, Annabelle, Mikayla); Katheryn Bourgeois Padilla (Terryl) (Nevaeh, Atlas); Tiffany Bourgeois (Sabella). She is also survived by a number of treasured nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends and loved ones on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church, in Texas City, Texas, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. with a memorial mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. There will be a reception at St. Mary's Ponzini Hall immediately after the mass.

Anita was blessed with so many loving friends who could always bring a quick smile to her face. Please accept our heartfelt thanks to each of you for your thoughts, prayers, and many kindnesses. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Texas City, or to a charity of your choice.