Mrs. Katy Wells, who served as a crossing guard for 40 years, was honored and remembered as a true pillar of strength and community support for Seventh Ward Elementary and the Denham Springs area as a whole during a candlelight vigil held on May 4 at 8 p.m. at the Seventh Ward school.
With a packed courtyard and so many cars that there was almost no space left for parking, it was easy to see at a glance just how many lives Mrs. Wells impacted through her continued protection of and service to Seventh Ward Elementary and Gray's Creek Elementary's many students and faculty.
However, Mrs. Wells was so much more than a crossing guard; she was a mother, grandmother, educator, friend, and a shining example of the truest definition of selfless service.
Friends, family, teachers, and fellow crossing guards all stood in solidarity at the ceremony, with some sporting their own stop signs and others handing out vigil program pamphlets and candles.
"Your presence here tonight in 'her yard,' as she would call it, is evidence and reflects the kind of person she was and the impact that she had on each of us," Seventh Ward Elementary Principal Laura Dunlap said. "Whether you were a student or a parent, a teacher, or simply passing through Katy's corridor, you knew that you mattered to her… your safety mattered most of all [to her]."
Livingston Parish School Board Superintendent Jody Purvis was in attendance, as was Livingston Parish Council President Billy Taylor. The songs "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art" played at the beginning of the ceremony, and Dr. Leo Miller from First Baptist Church prayed over the crowd and cited Psalms 46:1 and 46:10 as comfort to the grieving.
"We now thank you, God, for her legacy that will go on as someone who loved people, loved children, and served our community with excellence," Dr. Miller added.
Words of remembrance were offered by several of Mrs. Wells' friends, including Buddy Mincey Jr., Lieutenant Bryan Parent, retired LPSO Deputy Burley McCarter, Alicia Jackson, and Mrs. Wells' group of friends, "The Golden Girls": Kim Pickett, Rosemary Barnett, and Sherry Roberts.
Mincey recalled how Mrs. Wells and her late husband, Glen P. Wells, moved into the house across the road from him when he was just seven years old. He noted that Mrs. Wells worked for Mincey's father, was a coworker to Mincey's wife for 30 years, and was a lab manager for all three of Mincey's daughters.
"Mrs. Katy was family," Mincey said. "She loved her job, and we loved her."
Lieutenant Parent worked alongside Mrs. Wells under the traffic and motor division and noted her dedication to her duties and her unwavering commitment to the protection and safety of all those under her guidance.
"She was someone the parents trusted, the children loved, and her coworkers deeply respected," Lt. Parent said.
McCarter shared fond memories of enjoying long lunch breaks with Mrs. Wells, working on word search and crossword puzzles with her, and listening to her come up with solutions for all the world's political problems in one sitting.
"The morning of last Thursday, we sat here, we had some good times, we had some laughs when we finished the school zone," McCarter reminisced. "Later that evening, we were joking again about how we needed a [puzzle] book that had larger letters so we could do it [together]. We walked out the door with a big laugh, went and did our school zones, and moved on to Gray's Creek."
"That last laughter and last moment was a great, fun memory to keep of my friend Mrs. Katy," McCarter added.
Alicia Jackson, a teacher at Seventh Ward Elementary, read a letter she wrote to Mrs. Wells following her passing, saying, "I wish I had told you how important you were in my life…. I wish that last Thursday, I had hugged you really tight and told you how much I loved you."
The Golden Girls read "An Ode to a Crossing Guard," a poem filled with vivid imagery and descriptions of the small, almost unnoticed ways in which Mrs. Wells impacted the community just by being there.
"Children spill from cars with untied shoes, with heavy backpacks and unfinished dreams," the poem read, "and you gather them across the river of traffic, as if each one were precious cargo."
The ceremony drew to a close with the lighting of the candles, and each member of the vigil was encouraged to sing along to "This Little Light of Mine."
Sheriff Jason Ard gave the closing speech, noting that "on our badges, it doesn't say protect and serve, it says serve and protect. Service is something that takes a special person. Protecting is easy, but Mrs. Katy had that service heart. She was here to serve each and every one of you, this community, each and every day."
Sheriff Ard ended his address by highlighting the importance of driving without distractions, such as texting, and noted that Mrs. Wells "would be upset if I didn't tell you all that."
A memorial service for relatives and friends of Mrs. Wells will be held Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to noon at Hebron Baptist Church, 24063 LA Hwy 16, Denham Springs. In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Wells would prefer donations be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital or to a local animal shelter or rescue.
