David Louis Duplantis

He graduated from South Terrebonne High School in 1966, and Nicholls State University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He followed in his mother’s footsteps and earned a certification in elementary education when he realized that teaching was his calling. David taught 6th grade for over 25 years and spent most of his career at Grand Caillou Elementary. His retirement was well earned after decades of helping guide young people to a better future.

He was a classic car enthusiast and could identify classics on the spot by make, model and year! He also loved watching shows about classic cars and read Hemming Motor News religiously. David inherited his love for reading and knowledge from his late mother, Ruth, and enjoyed reading magazines so much he would often give them to his nieces and nephews. He enjoyed geology and had a wanderlust for travel. When David was younger, he moved to Colorado for an adventure and to live among the mountains. He always said this was his absolute favorite place he ever visited and reminisced fondly of his time there. He was especially fond of St. Mary Glacier west of Denver. Another one of his favorite trips was driving down the California Coast Highway with his brothers. He mentioned often that he loved looking out over the Pacific Ocean watching whales breaching and saying that they made him think of Ruth. Despite this stint living away, he was always drawn to Houma and returned to his roots.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Clinton George Duplantis and Ruth Ewing Duplantis, and his brothers, Clinton Roger Duplantis (known as Roger) and Cecil Paul Duplantis.

He is survived by his brother, Merle Duplantis (Myra), their children, Scott Duplantis, Jason Duplantis (Alexandra), Jennifer Thibodeaux (Mark); sister-in-law Katherine Duplantis (Roger), their children Arlene LeBlanc (Lance), Karen Jensen (Morten); sister-in-law Anna Duplantis (Cecil), their children, Monique Besson (Craig), Simone Parfait (Kevin); and 13 great-nieces and great-nephews. David is also survived by many other loving relatives and friends.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Tammany Parish Hospital for the care they provided David in his final days.They were incredibly compassionate and helpful. All the caregivers at Peristyle at Beau West were wonderful as well and helped David in the last months of his life.

A Celebration of David’s life is being planned. For up-to-date information and to be notified when the service date and time are announced, please visit David’s online memorial page at:

https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/12885825.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating, in David’s honor, to his favorite charities; The Salvation Army (https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/), American Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/), Habitat for Humanity (https://www.habitat.org/), and Special Olympics (https://www.specialolympics.org/).