Marlene Beauxis

Marlene Myra Beauxis née Nicholson died peacefully on December 27, 2022 at the age of 86. She was born January 1936 to Mildred Kingsbury Nicholson and Gantt Pape Nicholson Jr of Washington Louisiana.

Marlene, a gifted athlete, attended AIC from 1951-1954 (now Opelousas Catholic) where she was captain of the Lady Wildcats basketball team and was named All State, All Parish, and All District Guard as well as All State Forward.

Her single-game record score of 61 points still stands and she was also known as the first female player in our area to utilize a “jump shot”. After graduation, she was offered a position to play professionally with Hazel Walker’s Arkansas travelers, a touring women’s professional basketball team.

Marlene was a known beauty as well as an talented athlete. She followed in her mother’s footsteps (Mildred Kingsbury Nicholson, Miss Louisiana 1931) and at age 17 won the title of Miss Washington and was the 1955 Alexandria Lions club Rodeo Queen.

She was an accomplished graduate dancer and performed in many of the Opelousas Follies and the coronations for Yambilee queen.

She was a skilled equestrian, winning competitions showing her Tennessee Walker , Kenny Boy and also barrel racing and roping. She competed in the 1955 National high school rodeo in Nebraska and was recognized as the first female “Hazer” in competitive bulldogging in our area.

In 1957 she wed Raymond Beauxis and had three children, Raymond Jr, Myra, and Rachel.

While no longer competitively riding horses from the mid 1980’s- 2000’s , Marlene’s accomplishments with them continued as a well known breeder of quarter horses and thoroughbreds. She had more than 30 winning horses at several tracks, including Cajun Downs, Evangeline Downs, Delta Downs, Louisiana Downs, Jefferson Downs, Pineywood Downs , The Fairgrounds, Sam Houston and Oaklawn race track in Arkansas. She also donated her time working with the St Landry Agricultural Arena.

She held memberships with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association , The American Quarter Horse Association and the Louisiana Quarter Horse Association. She was recognized as the breeder of AQHA superior race horse MB Boots Magic and Stakes Race winner Magic Jess Perry.

Marlene was kind, funny, generous and loved all animals great and small, but had a particular fondness for horses. She was a true hypophile.

She always enjoyed a cold long neck Miller Lite, wore cowboy boots everywhere she could, drove a pickup truck, and had a wide vocabulary of curse words.

She will be missed by all those lucky enough to have known her.

Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, Mildred and Gantt, her infant sister Mildred Ann Nicholson and her nephew, Gantt Pape Nicholson IV.

Marlene is survived by her brother, Gantt Pape Nicholson III (Janet)and by her children, Raymond Beauxis Jr (Karolina), Myra Beauxis Robertson (John), and Rachel Beauxis Cunningham (Mike). Her grandchildren, Caroline Robertson Bedell (Jeremy), Olivia Cunningham, Abigail Cunningham, Michael Phillip Cunningham, Oliver Beauxis , and great granddaughter Adeline McEnery Bedell. She is also survived her nieces Amy, Sarah, Katie, Millie Clair plus numerous other grand nieces and nephews.

Her memorial mass was held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Washington where she was a lifelong parishioner and served as an usher. She was placed to rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery next to her beloved father.

The family wishes to thank her many caregivers: Meaux Bayham, Heather Quirk, Lou August and her daughters, Kirsten and Agnes, the staff at Courtyard Assisted Living and Heart Of Hospice.

Words of Comfort for the family may be expressed at www.sibillefuneralhomes.com. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Sibille Funeral Home of Opelousas.