“Her hands cultivated the land, her heart nurtured her family, and her faith inspired a
community.”
Genevieve Lyons, 78, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family
and the faith that guided her throughout her life.
She devoted her life to God, family, agriculture, and service to others. For 57 years, she
shared an enduring and loving marriage with her husband, Daniel Lyons. Together they
built not only a successful farming operation but a life centered on faith, hard work,
hospitality, and community.
As a dedicated dairy farmer, cow-calf producer, hay producer, and row crop farmer, she
spent her life nurturing both the land and the people around her. She did not sit on the
sidelines in any part of her life. Whether driving tractors, baling square bales in the
south Louisiana heat and humidity, milking cows twice a day, tending livestock, or
managing the countless responsibilities that come with operating a family farm, she
approached every task with determination and pride. She believed agriculture was more
than a livelihood or simply what she did; it was a calling and it was who she was.
Through decades of hard work alongside her husband and family, she helped build a
farming operation that served as both a successful business and a living example of
stewardship, perseverance, and faith.
A passionate advocate for farming and ranching, she often said, “It is my hope that
our children learn to live with and appreciate the sustainable system that
Louisiana has.” That belief guided her life’s work as she sought to educate consumers,
inspire young people, and preserve Louisiana’s agricultural heritage for future
generations.
She shared her passion for agriculture on a local, state, and national level, having
served as President of the Louisiana CattleWomen’s Association, represented
producers as a member of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, and as a
member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, among
others. Education and outreach were especially important to her. Alongside her
husband, she hosted the annual “Here’s the Beef” Cook-Off in Opelousas for over 40
years, helping families better understand and appreciate the beef industry. She also
welcomed thousands of schoolchildren to her farm over the years, providing hands-on
educational tours that connected young people to agriculture and taught them where
their food comes from. Tirelessly promoting the industry that provided for her family;
whether speaking on radio and television programs, welcoming visitors to the farm, or
representing farmers and ranchers at meetings across the state and nation, she was a
steadfast voice for Louisiana agriculture and became one of Louisiana agriculture’s
most recognized and respected advocates.
Her home was not only a gathering place for family and friends, but also a welcoming
haven for visitors from around the world. Over the years, she and her husband opened
their doors and shared their lives with foreign exchange students from Spain, Belgium,
Germany, France, and across the United States. She embraced each student as one of
her own, sharing with them not only the daily life of a Louisiana dairy farm family and
rural Louisiana but also lessons in faith, service, and perseverance. Many remained
lifelong friends, a testament to her ability to make anyone who entered her home feel
loved and valued, creating bonds that endured long after their time on the farm had
ended.
Deeply proud of her Cajun heritage, she embodied its enduring values of faith, family,
hard work, and hospitality. She found great joy in sharing Louisiana traditions, food,
culture, Cajun French language, and stories with others, believing that preserving her
Cajun heritage was one of the greatest gifts she could pass on to future generations.
Among her many roles and accomplishments, her greatest pride and joy was her family.
As the devoted mother of five children, she experienced both life’s greatest blessings
and one of its deepest sorrows with the loss of a son, Eric, at the age of 11. While that
loss would have broken many, she refused to let grief become the defining chapter of
her life. Guided by her strong Catholic faith, she chose gratitude over sorrow, continued
to pour her love into her family and community, and embraced each day as a gift from
God. She carried the memory of her son with her every day, but she taught those
around her that joy and sorrow can coexist, and that faith can sustain us through life’s
most difficult moments. That quiet strength became one of her most enduring gifts to
her family and to all who knew her. Through her example, she taught her family that
life’s hardships are not meant to stop us from living, loving, and serving others. Her
resilience became one of her greatest lessons, demonstrating how faith and purpose
can carry a family through even its darkest moments.
She was a cherished grandmother to thirteen grandchildren and a beloved great-
grandmother to two great-grandchildren. Her home was a place of warmth, faith,
laughter, food, and unconditional love, where every child and grandchild knew they were
treasured.
She was also a tireless caregiver, lovingly tending to both her mother and mother-in-law
when they needed her most. Through those acts of selfless service, she demonstrated
the compassion, patience, and strength that defined her character.
A faithful Catholic throughout her life, she lived her beliefs each day through prayer,
service, generosity, and unwavering trust in God’s plan. Her faith was the foundation
upon which she built her family and guided every aspect of her life.
She was a dedicated 4-H, FFA, FBLA, and Girl Scouts mother and volunteer leader on
the local, regional and state levels, who encouraged countless young people to develop
character, confidence, and leadership skills. While she mentored many through her
agricultural leadership and community involvement, some of her most meaningful
mentorship happened on the family farm. Generations of young men who worked
alongside her family found in her a trusted advisor, an encouraging voice, and a
motherly presence. She worked alongside them, fed them hamburgers and gave them
jugs of cold water, celebrated their accomplishments, offered guidance during difficult
times, and left an enduring mark on their lives. Many who came to the farm as
employees left feeling like family.
Through her quiet example, she showed others how to live with grace, integrity,
resilience, perseverance, and purpose. She is survived by her husband of 57 years,
Daniel; children: Carmen (Todd) Fahrenthold, Barrett (Julie) Lyons, Monica (Jeff)
Masson, & Bridget (Steven) Tarrant; grandchildren: Brianna (Jesse) Kennemore,
Emmerson Lyons, John Daniel Masson, Erica Fahrenthold, Julia Fahrenthold, Jackson
Masson, Eli Lyons, Lauren Jane Masson, Joshua Fahrenthold, Ellie Lyons, Charles
Tarrant, Daniel Tarrant, & Gianna Tarrant; two great-grandchildren: Theodore
Kennemore & Genevieve Kennemore; sister: Corinne Treuil; nephew: Lawrence
(Margaret) Treuil; nieces: Nicole (Jim) LeMaire & Michelle (Bentley) Purvis; great
nephews: Timothy Treuil, Chandler LeMaire & John Mills LeMaire; and great niece:
Corinne LeMaire. She was preceded in death by her parents: John and Lelias
Delhomme; son: Eric Lyons; and nephew: John Treuil.
Though she will be deeply missed, her legacy endures in every life she touched, every
young person she encouraged, every family conversation and meal shared around her
island, every farm she influenced, and every lesson she taught through her example.
Her family finds comfort knowing that she has heard the words she spent a lifetime
striving to earn: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:23
The family is deeply grateful to her caregivers: Claudette Mouisset, Arlene Graves and
Debbie Prejean; and the hospice nurses and staff who walked alongside us during her
final chapter. Your compassion, tenderness, and respect reflected the same spirit of
service that she demonstrated throughout her life and allowed her to remain surrounded
by love and comfort throughout her journey. Thank you for caring for her as a person,
not just a patient, and for helping our family navigate this time with grace, comfort, and
peace. May God bless each of you for the important work you do.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in
Church Point, LA on Thursday, October 29 at 10 am, with burial to follow at St. John’s
Chapel Cemetery in Lewisburg, LA. Visitation will be held at Guidry Funeral Home in
Church Point, LA on Wednesday, October 28 from 4-9 pm. Serving as pallbearers will
be Barrett Lyons, Jeff Masson, Lawrence Treuil, John Daniel Masson, Jackson Masson,
Eli Lyons, and Joshua Fahrenthold. Honorary pallbearers are Todd Fahrenthold, Steven
Tarrant, Charles Tarrant, and Daniel Tarrant.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Louisiana 4-H
Foundation in care of Genevieve Lyons in honor of her lifelong commitment to
community, heritage, education, and agriculture.
