LaVon Barnes Oglesbee, 99, passed away with her daughter by her side and surrounded by so many who loved her May 30, 2024. Graveside services will be July 2 at 2 p.m. at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe, Louisiana. LaVon Oglesbee was the daughter of Charles and Eula Zeigler Barnes born March 26, 1925. She was the valedictorian at Eros High School Class of 1941 and played forward on the basketball team. She graduated with an associate’s degree from Northeast Junior College (now ULM) and a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from Louisiana Tech University in 1944. She told stories of how all the boys wanted to date her — no doubt with her good looks. The one who won her heart was James Floyd “Buddy” Oglesbee, her husband of 69 years until his death in 2012. He introduced her as his first wife. His first and only. Mrs. Oglesbee taught just about everyone in West Monroe including her sister, son, daughter and grandson. She taught at Logtown and Millsaps before joining the original faculty of West Monroe High School in 1953 teaching biology and chemistry throughout her career. She left the classroom temporarily in 1958 to adopt two children, Gary and Lori. She returned to WMHS in 1968 and retired in 1996. Homecoming was dedicated to her that fall. The standing ovation continued long after the emcee, her grandson Scott Oglesbee, introduced her. It was a fitting tribute for a fabled career. In lieu of flowers, grants will be awarded to science classrooms at West Monroe High School through the WMHS Friends and Alumni Association. Please designate the gift in honor of LaVon Oglesbee Science Grant. To donate: https://wmalumniandfriends.org/donate/ For the last eight years, Mrs. Oglesbee lived with her daughter and son-in-law in McKinney, Texas. USA Today published an article about her 95th birthday during the pandemic. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/04/03/coronavirus-cant-ruin-95-year-old-texas-womans-birthday/5114948002/ She had a huge celebration for her 99th birthday in March. The dining hall was full of friends and family who devoured 120 buntinis in all of her favorite flavors. The family, however had to be shushed because they were talking too loud to hear the Bingo numbers. After all, full-size candy bars were at stake, not the fun-size ones. LaVon played her last game of Bingo with her special purple chips one week before she passed away. Visitors at the end were thankful for all that prize candy she had hidden in her apartment and pretty much ate it over the last few days sitting with her. LaVon Oglesbee was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Buddy, her son Gary Oglesbee, her brother Charles Barnes, Jr., and her sisters Charlene Dunn and Marilyn Tidwell. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Lori Oglesbee and Philip Petter of McKinney, Texas; brother-in-law Fermon Tidwell of Grand Prairie, Texas; grandson and wife Scott and Paula Oglesbee; granddaughter and husband Karen and Kevin Harris; great-grandchildren Alexis Oglesbee, Jordan Fletcher and Chase Fletcher; nephews and their wives Bill and Linda Foster of West Monroe, Louisiana, Johnny and Donna Foster of Grand Prairie, Texas, Charles “Chuck” and Paula Barnes, III of North Little Rock, Arkansas, and David and Sherry Barnes of Winfield, Illinois. A special debt of gratitude goes to her caregivers Helen Beck, Vickie Sullivan, Yvonne Hibberts -Smith, June Davis, Linda James, Laurie Loven, Dani Westdyke and to the staff at Brookdale Assisted Living in Stonebridge Ranch.
