The wife of City-Parish Councilman Keith Patin died last night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
[Editor's Note: This story has been updated with information on funeral arrangements.]
The IND has confirmed through various sources that Lou King Patin, wife of City-Parish Councilman Keith Patin, was found dead at her home in Lafayette Thursday night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lou was 56.
Lou was known by most people for her love and celebration of life, especially her devotion to her husband of more than three decades and the couple's only son, Hunter, who is in the MBA program at LSU. She founded and ran her own staffing agency for more than 25 years, and much of her free time was spent as a civic and charitable volunteer. She most recently worked as a consultant.
Funeral services will be held Monday, March 11, at an 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial in Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Private interment will be held at a later date. The Rev. Michael J. Russo will be the celebrant of the Funeral Mass and will conduct the services.
The Patin family will receive friends at Martin & Castille's southside location, 600 E. Farrel Road, Sunday from 4-9 p.m. and on Monday from 9 a.m. until the services.
A rosary will be prayed Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in the funeral home.
Pallbearers will be Robert King, Charles King, Ted Hoyt, Don Landry, Cody Wells, Johnny Walker, Joe Simon and Dale Trahan. Honorary pallbearers will be Gene Lognion and Andrew Leonpacher.
Lou was one of The IND's Women Who Mean Business honorees in 2006 (the feature is now part of our sister publication ABiz).
Below is what was written about her for that feature (memorial contributions in Lou's name may be made to any of the various charitable organizations she was involved with):
At a time when many of her peers are considering how to enjoy their retirement after years of hard work, Lou King Patin has set a new career objective for herself: She wants to do fund-raising for charities throughout Acadiana, using her contacts "with the generous people" she's worked with over the years.
UL Lafayette graduate Patin has worked in the employment staffing industry throughout her career, culminating in the creation of King-Patin Staffing Ltd. in 1985. She also became affiliated with Right Management Consultants of Houston as a teacher and consultant in 2001. The reason she was recruited by one of the largest career transition firms is obvious to her clients.
"From day one, I saw that Lou was very professional and insightful," said Bryan Hanks, owner of BETA Land Services LLC. "When she's matching the needs of clients with job candidates, she more than works with you. And she stays with you, through ups and downs, through changes, she's very flexible. She's helped me with my staffing needs for 20 years and always given every assignment her personal touch."
Hanks has also been called upon by Patin to lend his support to various charitable causes over the years, and he never hesitates.
"She's instant credibility for whatever charitable group she's associated with," he said. "She's very involved in that work, based in part on the professional relationships she's built up over the years."
That community involvement is as varied as Patin's interests and includes chairing the American Heart Association's Celebrity Waiter event, serving on the AHA Board of Directors and as a State of Louisiana AHA volunteer. She is involved in the Louisiana Association of Personnel Agencies, the Louisiana Association of Staffing Agencies, the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic and the Silver Bell Soiree, which supports the clinic.
Patin has worked tirelessly with Our Lady of Fatima Foundation and Our Lady of Fatima Altar Society, chaired Our Lady of Fatima Blue and Gold Campaign, and served as fundraising chair for the St. Thomas More PTC Board. She continues to develop professionally and personally, as she garners additional certifications in her field and allies herself with organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse's Night of the Child. She's also active in Mardi Gras, serving on the royal court of the Krewe of Bonaparte in the past and being a founding member of the Krewe of Rio. She's also a member of the Krewe of Troubadours and has served on the board of directors of the Krewe of Versailles, the children's Carnival group.
She is quick to credit her staff with helping make many of her accomplishments possible and still retains a strong devotion to her career. "It is the placement of good people with good companies that excites me more today than it ever did," she says.