Mary Joyce Vital

Published 6:00 am Friday, December 29, 2017

A Mass of Christian burial will be held for Mary Joyce Vital, 83, the former Mary Joyce Bastian, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 30, 2017, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church with Fr. Bill Melancon as celebrant.

She will await the resurrection in Holy Family Cemetery in New Iberia.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Saturday from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home where a Rosary will be recited at 8:30 a.m.

Mary Joyce Vital, affectionately known as “Joyce”, was born on November 27, 1934, in Loreauville to the union of the late Joseph Edwin Bastian and Martha Bourda Bastian. She was called home at 1:32 p.m. on Tuesday, December 26, 2017, at Iberia Medical Center.  

Joyce was a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic faith. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church served as her spiritual home until her passing. She was a graduate of Jonas Henderson High School in New Iberia. After high school, Joyce was one of three of the first black LPN’s to receive a Licensed Practical Nursing degree from Teche Vocational Technical School. She provided compassionate service and practiced the art of nursing at various doctors’ offices and nursing homes in New Iberia, Lafayette and St. Martinville. 

She loved spending time with family and friends, baking and decorating cakes and caring for others.

Joyce was joined in union to Joseph “Dudley” Vital on August 4, 1954, and from this union had four children. She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband, Joseph Dudley Vital, of New Iberia; one daughter Marie Denise Vital of New Iberia; two sons Joseph Douglas Vital (Denise) of Oakland, California and Michael Elliot Vital (Adeline) of New Iberia; one brother Joseph Leroy Bastian (Helen) of Loreauville; two brothers-in-law Amos Vital and Milton A. Broussard; six grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; and a host of nieces, nephews, godchildren, relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her daughter Janet Faye Vital; her parents, Joseph Edwin Bastian and Martha Bourda Bastian; a great-great grandson Carlin Ayce Mitchell; her sisters Marie Edna Bastian Broussard and Ella Louise Bastian; one brother-in-law Louis “Deacon” Vital Sr.; four sisters-in-law Louise Lewis, Mathilde Fontenette, Margaret Chenier and Ruby Nell Louis.

Active pallbearers will be Johnathan Mitchell, Brian Mitchell, Derrick Mitchell, Bryan Mitchell, Bryce Vital and Taurean Roberts.

Honorary pallbearers will be Dennis Bastian, Louis Vital Jr., Milton A. Broussard, Nicholas Louis Sr., Steven Louis Sr., David Youman Jr., Bryson Youman Sr., Jace Mitchell and Jared Mitchell.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Home, 609 West Admiral Doyle Drive, New Iberia, LA 70560.

Words of condolences may be expressed to the family at www.fletcher funeralhomes.org.