Yvonne "Giffy" Gifford

1924 - 2012  (88 years)

• Name	Yvonne "Giffy" Gifford
  Relationship	with Gustave Jean Baptiste Pitard
  Born	21 Jan 1924	Jacksonville, Duval Co., Florida
  Gender	Female
  Obituary	Obituary, Shreveport Times, 24 Feb. 2012: Yvonne Gifford Marshall SHREVEPORT, LA - Ask almost anyone in Shreveport if they knew Giffy Marshall, and chances are you'll get a positive response. She celebrated life every day, enjoying everything from going to Mass and weddings, to bridge parties and musical productions with friends, birthday parties and even funerals. For her, all of life was to be lived to the fullest. Giffy died peacefully on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, at Guest Care at Spring Lake, where she had lived since last June. The cause of her death was complications of Alzheimer's Disease. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 25, at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Officiating will be Father Karl Daigle. Honoring Giffy as pallbearers will be her grandsons. Interment will follow in Forest Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday evening at Osborn Funeral Home, to be followed by a Vigil. Yvonne Louise Adele Gifford Marshall was born on January 21, 1924, in Jacksonville, Florida, and lived as a child in Atlanta, Baltimore, New Orleans and Chatawa, Mississippi, where she attended St. Mary of the Pines School. In New Orleans in 1944, she met John Wilcox Marshall, Jr. (Jack), a young Navy officer from Shreveport who was back from service in the Pacific. They were married on March 2, 1945 at Holy Name of Jesus Church on St. Charles Avenue. In 1946 they moved to Shreveport, where Giffy, like many women of her day, was a mother and homemaker. She hosted dinner parties and Scout meetings with equal aplomb. She and Jack accepted an invitation to become charter members of St. Joseph parish, recalling when Mass was celebrated first at the old Broadmoor Theater. Giffy made friends everywhere she went, and she had a gift for remembering almost everyone's name. In 2008, her sister Elise came to live with Giffy in the house that she and Jack built in 1962. A few years ago, Giffy -- always sharp and with a memory for every detail of life -- started to become forgetful. Mercifully, the Alzheimer's only seemed to rob her of the capacity to remember the sorrows of yesteryear and worries about the future. When she moved into Spring Lake last summer, she brought along her unfailingly sweet nature and always present smile. Giffy was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Yvonne Gifford; husband, Jack; sister, Gloria Keefe; and an infant daughter, Mary Dale. [ . . . ] The family wishes to extend its heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Richard Haynie; Jeff Crane and Rebecca Hogan of the Resource Center; Claude Pasquier and the entire staff at Spring Lake, especially Shantanel Payne and Renee Russell; and Robyn Watkins of Christus Schumpert Hospice.
  Died	22 Feb 2012	Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana
  Buried	Forest Park Cemetery, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana
  Notes	A description of her wedding can be found in the Times-Picayune, 3 Mar. 1945, p12.
  Person ID	I14703	lansdalepitard
  Last Modified	15 Aug 2013

  
  

  Father	Alexander Gifford           b. 27 Oct 1895           d. Nov 1967  (Age 72 years)
  Mother	Yvonne "Mère" Goodrich           b. Abt 1898, Louisiana           d. 21 Mar 1985  (Age ~ 87 years)
  Family ID	F10610	|  Family Chart

  
  

  Spouse / Partner	John Wilcox "Jack" Marshall, Jr.           b. 14 May 1921, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana           d. 26 Jul 1976, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana  (Age 55 years)
  Married	2 Mar 1945	New Orleans, Louisiana   [1]
  	Wedding description, Times-Picayune, 3 Mar. 1945, p12
  Children	1. Mary Dale Marshall           b. 19 Dec 1945           d. 22 Dec 1945  (Age 0 years) + 2. Living + 3. Living + 4. Living + 5. Living
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2013
  Family ID	F10388	|  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Click to hide
  		Born - 21 Jan 1924 - Jacksonville, Duval Co., Florida  Married - 2 Mar 1945 - New Orleans, Louisiana  Died - 22 Feb 2012 - Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana  Buried - - Forest Park Cemetery, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana   = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend

  
  

• Reference

  "Yvonne "Giffy" Gifford". Genealogy at Pitard.net. https://ancestors.pitard.net/getperson.php?personID=I14703&tree=1sttree (accessed April 1, 2020).