Oduse "Dago" Trahan

Oduse "Dago" Trahan, age 100, died January 21, 2012 in Gulf Breeze Florida, at Bay Breeze Retirement and Nursing Facility. He was born January 14, 1912, in Abbeville, Louisiana, one of nine children, born to Augustin Trahan and Constance Faulk. He was a member of St. Michaels church, on the point, then later, Sacred Heart Church, D'Iberville. He was a life member of The Fleur De Lis Society. He met his wife, Laura Robicheaux, also a Cajun migrant from Louisiana. They were married in Biloxi in 1931. He moved to Biloxi in 1917, so the family could work in the Seafood Industry. As a child, he worked beside his mother in the Shrimp factory picking shrimp. In 1926 at the age of 14 he got his first assignment on the Schooner the Miracle as a crewman. After crewman assignments on various boats, he was assigned captain of a boat at DeJean packing co. He served as skipper of several boats at DeJean's, before accepting a captain's position at Seacoast Factory. He later worked an independent boat, the Mary Rose. Then, after his second tragic boat related accident, one last brief stent aboard the Thelma Leckich, at Fayards seafood factory,. In 1953 he lost his right eye in a freak accident when a saw fish was caught, along with the shrimp, in the trawl, started flipping and threw something into his eye. Then, in 1967, he had another accident where he almost lost his life and left arm in another boating accident. In 1959 he won a trophy for best-decorated boat. 1985 he was crowned Shrimp King. After periods of living in housing provided by the seafood companies, he built his own house in 1941. He later sold that home, and built one in D’Iberville in 1960. After 44 years in the shrimping industry he retired, and went into business as a home building contractor. Then he pursued his hobbies of making champagne and gardening. He and Laura were interested in the Trahan Genealogy and traced their roots back to France, to Nova Scotia and to Louisiana. Their efforts inspired the formation of The Trahan Association in Louisiana. He is survived by his sons, Eugene (Jayne) of Navarre Florida, Richard (Sandi) of Biloxi, Grandchildren, Mark Berry, Dianne Procopio, Billy Winterstein, Kathy Tate, Linda Corcoran, Glenn Butterfield, Toinette (Trahan) Houck, Denise (Trahan) Lukas, Michael Trahan, Great Grand Children, Melinda Parks, Jeremy Winterstein, Keith Winterstein, Sarah Butterfield, Natalie Tate, Dasher Lukas, Daniel Strong, Logan Frazier. He was predeceased by his wife, Laura Robicheaux, daughters Constance Butterfield, Mary Janet Kruse, and granddaughter, Laura Ann Fowler. The family will receive friends at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm, with a 2:00 pm service on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. Entombment will follow at the Biloxi City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to one's favorite charity.