Frederick Paul Duplantis

Frederick Paul Duplantis of Houston, Texas passed away on January 26th, 2025 at the age of 78. He was born on August 29, 1946 in Chauvin, Louisiana. He graduated from St. Joseph Benedictine High School in Chauvin, Louisiana in 1964, where he was a star athlete in football, baseball, basketball, and track. Here, he met his high school sweetheart, Julie Blanchard Duplantis.

In 1965, shortly after their marriage, he was drafted by the US Army to serve in the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1968. He graduated from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

He spent decades serving the public good by improving the economic well-being and quality of life of communities across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. He secured funding for hundreds of public assistance projects following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, authored a model used in coastal Louisiana parishes to revitalize the state’s seafood industry, and contributed to economic development initiatives in Texas, Arkansas, and Florida. He was most proud of his service leading the Road Home Small Rental Property program established to rebuild homes across the Louisiana Coastal parishes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The lasting legacy of his work can be felt in thriving communities all across the South.

He loved to revel in recounting tales of his work, and always had a new story to tell. He remembered every person he ever talked with, and he never left a conversation without making a new friend. He cared so much for the people he knew, always keeping up with his former colleagues and his hometown community in Chauvin. He coached baseball and basketball for many children who knew him as “Coach Freddie”. He was an avid supporter of the LSU Gymnastics and Volleyball teams, and was a fixture in the front row.

Most of all, he deeply loved his family, and would move heaven and earth to make life better for them. He faced every hardship with a positive and lighthearted attitude, finding joy in even the toughest circumstances until the very end. He leaves us all with his stories, and those who knew him will surely tell them for years to come.

He is preceded in death by his father, Rannie J. Duplantis Sr.; his mother, Libby Pellegrin Duplantis; and by his brother, Rannie J. Duplantis Jr.

He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Julie Blanchard Duplantis; his three children, Brad Duplantis and wife Kate Sullivan, Claire Lynch and husband Richard Lynch, and Tamara Duplantis; his two grandchildren, Jacob and Emma Lynch; his brother Ronnie Duplantis and wife Sharon Duplantis; his sister Martha Ordoyne; and numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph Church in Chauvin, LA on Saturday, March 8th at 11:00 AM. Visitation with the family will begin at 9:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to a disaster recovery initiative of your choice.