Photograph: Mary Maxine Wyble in 1957.
Carola Lillie Hartley
Publisher and Contributing Writer
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders Wyble of Port Barre, LA, Mary Maxine was born in 1940. In November of 1957 she married Gerald F. Morgan of LeBeau, LA. Gerald and Maxine first settled in LeBeau and in about 1964 moved to Opelousas, where Gerald was the Assistant Manager of the new Sherwin-Williams Paint Store that opened on South Union Street that year.
Just a few years later the couple were owners of Gerald F. Morgan Painting Contractors, Inc. of Opelousas, chartered in June of 1968. In February of 1969, Maxine and Gerald opened their own business, the Decorating Center located at 634 W. Landry Street in Opelousas. It was a complete home interior and exterior decorating center. Gerald had a thorough knowledge of home painting since he worked selling paint in a retail store for years, plus he was a professional house painter. In addition to paint the company sold painting supplies plus decorating items for the home and office. The business also offered in-home or office decorating ideas. Later Gerald again ran his own professional painting business.
Maxine was a wonderful homemaker and mother. She was a great cook; she was a seamstress and an excellent crafts maker. She was also a volunteer in the Opelousas community.
In 1965 Maxine was part of a parent’s group of volunteers who worked to help the Opelousas Head Start Program. She was also a member of the Opelousas Young Homemakers Club where she held various offices and committee responsibilities over the years. She often handled radio and television publicity for the group. In 1972 she won the craft contest held by the homemakers. In 1973 she took first place in that contest
Opelousas Jaycees and Jaycee Jaynes
In 1968 Maxine’s husband Gerald became a member of the Opelousas Jaycees. At that same time, Maxine joined the Opelousas Jaycee Jaynes where she was a very active member. As a member she was involves in most of the Jaycee/Jaynes projects for years. Some of those included the Miss St. Landry and Teen Miss St. Landry Beauty Pageant, His and Her Bowling Tournament, The Irene E. Shute Day Care Center Committee, Children’s Easter Egg Hunt, The Jaycee’s Children’s Christmas Parade, Louisiana Jaycee-Jayne Board of Directors meeting held in Opelousas in 1969, and the Opelousas 250th Anniversary Celebration in 1970. She held various offices over the years and chaired different committees.
She won many awards for her work with the Opelousas Jaycee Jaynes and in 1969 she was cited as the most cooperative Jayne. In 1972 she won the award for outstanding chairman of the year. She received recognition almost every year for her perfect attendance at Jayne meetings. Even after Gerald became a Jaycee Exhausted Rooster (meaning he was over 35 years old), Maxine continued to help the organization.
She helped with projects sponsored by the Greater Opelousas Chamber of Commerce and in 1974 placed second in the Hush Puppy Cook-off sponsored by the chamber that year.
Maxine was always willing to help in any way. When the Opelousas Jaycees and Jaynes became involved with the Opelousas Children’s Christmas Parade, sponsored by the Opelousas Retail Merchants of the Greater Opelousas Chamber of Commerce, Maxine was there to work on that parade. As the committee was planning the parade, a proposal was made to have some of the favorite TV characters and personalities loved by children of that time participate. People like Buckskin Bill from the Baton Rouge TV station channel 9 and Polycarp from Lafayette TV station channel 3 accepted the invitation to ride in the parade.
It was suggested to the parade committee that maybe some of the Sesame Street characters from the popular TV program could also participate by walking in the parade and greeting kids along the way. To do that the committee needed costumes that could be worn for the parade. But they were having trouble finding those costumes. Maxine Morgan was quick to volunteer to make sure those costumes were made for the parade. Maxine and volunteer Yvonne Brunner, worked together to create the costumes for the Cookie Monster and Big Bird for the 1972 parade, and added Oscar the Grouch and Grover the Monster for the 1973 parade. Those costumes were used repeatedly for many years in Opelousas.
All of us who knew, loved and worked with Maxine were sad to learn of her serious illness in 1975. After battling a disease for several months, Maxine died at Opelousas General Hospital early on Tuesday morning, February 3, 1976. Her funeral was held the following afternoon at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas. Father Wilfred Sylvester, who offered the funeral mass, told the many people in attendance about Maxine, calling her a good person who loved her family, her church and worked hard in service to her community. She was buried in Bellevue Memorial Park.
Maxine Morgan departed this life when only 36 years old, leaving behind a loving husband and five small boys. She also left behind her extended family and many friends and fellow Opelousas community workers.
What an amazing woman she was! A woman of Opelousas who I was fortunate to know, work with and call a friend. A woman who did so much for the community and who was gone way too soon. But to all who knew and loved her, Maxine’s legacy lives on.
