St. John Anthony Bargas

Mr. St. John Anthony Bargas, 92, of Ocean Springs, MS, died Saturday, October 29, 2005, in Ocean Springs. Mr. Bargas was born June 29, 1913, in Comfort, Texas, the son of Mathieu Bargas and Isabelle Lemee Bargas. He attended Louisiana State Universiy, where he received BA and MA degrees. After serving his country in the Pacific during the second World War, he was a Foreign Service Officer, first for the U. S. Veterans Administration and later for the U. S. Deartment of State. His first overseas assignment was to Paris, France, where he met his wife, the late Ella Kunz Bargas. His Foreign Service career included tours of duty in Switzerland, Italy, England, Mexico, and Spain. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 1969, he began a second career as a college professor at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans, LA, and also earned a doctorate degree at the age of 70 from the University of New Orleans. Survivors include two daughters, Maria Bargas of Ocean Springs and Sylvia Bargas of Silver Spring, Maryland; one son, Dr. Matthew Bargas of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; one son-in-law, Mike Williams; one daughter-in-law, Jacqueline Bargas; and seven grandchildren, Marion Allen, David Allen, Christina Allen, Matthew Bargas, Jr., Matthew Williams, Aaron Williams, Lori Williams and LeAnne Havard. A memorial mass will be held Tuesday, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs where friends may visit one hour before service time.