Dr. Roger Boughton of New Iberia returned for the last time Tuesday to Mangham, where he was laid to rest by family and friends in Prewitt Cemetery.

The ardent outdoorsman died at age 81 on July 15 surrounded by family at his home in New Iberia.

Boughton continued making his former hometown proud long after he quarterbacked Mangham High School to its only state title in 1956. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1965, served in the U.S. Army and moved to New Iberia in 1967 to practice with a veterinarian looking for a young, eager partner.

The young man who killed his first deer at age 9 while growing up in Mangham moved into a true Sporstman’s Paradise with the Atchafalaya Basin to the east and Vermilion Bay to the west in Iberia Parish.

I met him in 1977 after I moved here from Kansas City, Missouri. I’m the luckiest man in the world and cherish the memories of a good man and friend.

We’d rib each other about Texas A&M and, because I bleed purple and gold, LSU. I remember one of the last good ribbings when I called in December 2017 to tell him what a costly hire that was of Jimbo Fisher as head coach of the Aggies. We traded good-natured barbs as always.

That was during the split in the waterfowl hunting season. Boughton and Jed Broussard of Delcambre shared their knowledge about retrievers a few weeks earlier in a story Dec. 3, 2017, entitled “Keep ’em fit: During the split, exercise retrievers, don’t overfeed.”

Boughton, who became a successful veterinarian and owner of Iberia Animal Clinic, always took time to talk. He was an outstanding source for outdoor stories, as well as a friend who took me on my first woodcock hunt about four decades ago with his long-time friend, Bill Miller (who was a pallbearer Tuesday), and bass fishing in that same time frame inside Marsh Island with another good friend of his, the late Chester Haycock.

Those were memorable trips. You know how you get to know someone even more while fishing and hunting together. I learned he was the real deal, a genuine outdoorsman. I respected him.

One of his best quotes was in a story published April 30, 2018, when he told me how much he loves turkey hunting. He had shot and killed a 20-pound class Rio Grande gobbler with a 10 ½-inch bear and 1 ¼-inch long spurs while hunting April 22, 2018, with friends Jerry Feller and Ken Luke (who also served as pallbearers) near Harvey. It never gets old, he said at the time.

“It’s like killing a deer. Whenever it doesn’t give me a thrill, I’ll quit hunting. It’s the same with turkey. It’s like hitting a home run. I could look at 100 deer. When I see the 101st, it’ll be like the first one,” Boughton said, noting he killed his first turkey 40 years earlier in northern Mississippi.

When I first met him, he loved speckled trout fishing as much as hunting. The two of us went in his boat to Tiger Shoals in the 1980s, when it was rip-roaring good.

I learned from the master that day as we caught beaucoup speckled trout. I’ll never forget reeling in a 2 ½- to 3-pound speckled trout in the northern Gulf of Mexico and inexplicably leaning over the side of the boat to grab the fish or line and bring it in. In the time it takes to say, “Oh my God, what?” an estimated 5-foot long shark snapped the speckled trout in half right below my hand.

I musta turned pale at the near-miss. “Doc Fox,” as I’ll forever know him, laughed loudly. Eventually I did too.

Boughton had the most unique laugh, close to a cackle. When he laughed hard it evolved into a hearty guffaw. And, yes, he loved to laugh, cut up, have a good time.

He had his serious side, of course, one of the most conscientious, caring and hard-working veterinarians around. He set the standard and it was appreciated by his patients and the patients’ owners.

After his death was announced on the Iberia Animal Clinic’s Facebook page July 16, there was an outpouring of sympathetic and respectful posts.

Lisa Navarre wrote: “Such a wonderful doctor. He saved our little girl Storm from heartworms when others couldn’t. He had the kindest heart. Prayers for his family! May he rest in peace.”

Dana Boudreaux wrote: “Awe so sad right now he was an awesome veterinarian feeling heartbroken right now he took care of my animals and so many more animals REST IN PEACE DR. BOUGHTON.”

Carlie Paige Chaumont wrote: “Dr Boughton has been our favorite vet for many, many years. It is heartbreaking to know he won’t be there to care for us and our fur babies. He was one in a million and he will be sorely missed. Sending prayers for his family and the staff at IAC. We love yall and are so sorry for the lost of such a great man.”

Brittany Chappell wrote: “I’m so sorry for all who will miss him. He took care of my childhood dog, my horse and many other pets throughout the years. I graduated from LSU vet school 10 years ago, and he wrote me a letter of recommendation when I applied. His knowledge, common sense and compassion have stuck with me through all of these years.”

He was active in this community as a member of Ducks Unlimited, the old Save Our Coast and Coastal Conservation Association-Louisiana.

There have been some great Iberia Rod & Gun Club presidents since Lloyd G. Porter first helmed the local conservation organization in 1952-53. Boughton, who served as president in 1984, was one of them.

We lost a good man, a good friend.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.