Fire departments hold memorial for sisters who died 11 years ago

The St. Amant and 5th Ward volunteer fire departments held a memorial for two sisters who died 11 years ago after the car they were riding in went into Black Bayou.

The roadside ceremony takes place every year since the event to remember Patience Lobell and Faith Catislaw.

"We as a community made a promise to Patience and Faith at their funeral that we will never forget them, so every year we go back to the crash site and pray for the beautiful angels and place flowers in the water," Chief Officer James LeBlanc said.

For the past 37 years, LeBlanc has been a volunteer fire chief in Ascension Parish.

For the past 11 years, members of the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department have joined to pray along with St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department Chaplain Ken Spivey. During the memorial ceremony, emergency first responders and family members place flowers in the water and “think back upon that tragic night,” LeBlanc said.

When the flowers are placed in the water, two flowers always seem to stay back at the site away from the other flowers, that is an indication to volunteers firefighters and family members, that Faith and Patience are present at the site with them, stated LeBlanc.

“It was a tragic event for everyone involved,” LeBlanc said. “To try and save them all was our first priority, but realizing we couldn’t was a hard pill to swallow. We come here every year and remember those beautiful angels and think back upon how hard we fought to do all we could that night. The parish has continued to feel sadness, and we need to never forget their smiling faces.”