Continuation of tree (7th child of Leon Augustin Pitre/Marie Leonise Richard); all known surname descendants:
8 Charles Pitre b: 21 November 1896 Opelousas, St. Landry, LA; d: 8 August 1952 Port Arthur, Jefferson, TX
+ Rena Richard b: 13 December 1907 Leonville, St Landry, LA; m: July 1938 Eunice, St. Landry, LA [Joseph Thelismar/Marie Lea Breaux]; d: 13 April 1996 Lake Charles, Calcasieu, LA
Notes for Charles Pitre:
Census
- 1930
- 1940 Opelousas, St. Landry, LA: Gilbert Richard 41 salesman/beer, wife Utha 42, Robert 20, Martha Lee 17, Jessie Lynn 16m, brother Charles Pitre 42 bar tender/saloon, wife Rena 33.
- 1950 Port Arthur, Jefferson, Texas: Charles Pitre 53, wife Rena 43 waitress/restaurant, widowed mother-in-law Lea Richard 75.
WWI registration records: Charley Pitre; St. Landry, LA; born 21 Nov 1896 (near Opelousas); Leon Pitre; short height, medium build; brown eyes & brown hair.
WWII Records: Charles Pitre, res. 742 - 7th St., Port Arthur, TX; b. 21 Nov 1898 Opelousas, LA; contact Mrs. Charles Pitre (same address); 5'4", 118 lbs., brown eyes & brown hair, dark complexion, scar on leg-inside; 16 Feb 1942 Port Arthur, TX.
Marriage License: Clarion News (Opelousas, LA), Thursday, 21 July 1938: Marriage license issued to Charles Pitre, 41, and Rena Richard, 28, Opelousas.
1947 Port Arthur, TX City Directory: Chas. Pitre
(Rena) h2220 13th; also Mrs. Rena Pitre clk Bob & Joe's h2220 13th
Obituary: Beaumont Journal (TX), Friday, 8 August 1952: Port Arthur, Aug. 8 - Charles Pitre, 54, of 2220 Thirteenth street, died at 5:30 a.m. Friday in the home of a daughter, Mrs. J. E. Johnson, 3524 Forty-First street, after an illness of about two years. A resident of Port Arthur since 1939, he was a clerk for Fred Miller Hardware store and Western Auto supply. He was a native of Opelousas, La., a Legionnaire and a World War I veteran. Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday in St. Mary's Catholic church, with burial at Calvary cemetery. Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. Friday in Grammier-Oberie chapel. Surviving are his wife of Port Arthur; brother, Joe Pitre of Port Neches; daughters, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Alzina Himel and Mrs. D.L. Savoy of Opelousas, and Mrs. Anna Mae Boyd of New Orleans. [Note: In his obituary his 'daughters' are his sisters.]
Tombstone Inscription, Calvary Cemetery, Port Arthur, TX: Charles Pitre / Louisiana / PVT 1 Development BN / World War I / Nov. 21, 1897 - Aug. 8, 1952
Notes for Rena Richard:
- Married to Fred Early Besse 27 December 1955 Jefferson Co., TX
Obituary: Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, TX), Sunday, 14 April 1996: Rena Besse, 88, of Port Arthur died Saturday at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in Lake Charles. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church with burial at Greenlawn Memorial Park under the direction of Grammier-Oberle Funeral Home. A rosary recital will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at the church where she will lie in state from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. A native of Leonville, La., she was a Port Arthur resident most of her life. She lived in Lake Charles for the past year. Survivors include sisters, Laurence Richard and Horris Hidalgo, both of Opelousas, La., and several nieces and nephews.
Tombstone Inscription, Greenlawn Memorial Park, Groves, Jefferson, TX: Fred E. / Feb. 21, 1911 / Sept. 22, 1982 / together again / Rena P. / Dec. 13, 1907 / Apr. 13, 1996 / BESSE
Back one generation to parents of Charles Pitre
Items in RED verified from transcriptions in the following:
- Southwest Louisiana Records: Church and Civil Records of Parishes of Acadia, Allen Beauregard, Cameron, Calcasieu,
Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St Landry, St Martin, St Mary and Vermillion.
- Some Louisiana deaths in RED taken from obituaries or the Louisiana Deaths collection (which includes spouses/parents).
Last updated: 14 March 2026.