Ellen Arceneaux Haydel, 101, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Friday, September 11, 2026. Blessed with a long and healthy life, Ellen was a native of Gonzales and a lifelong resident of Houma, Louisiana.

Family and friends are invited to attend the visitation on Monday, September 14, 2026, at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, in Houma, Louisiana from 10:00 AM until service time. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 AM with burial to follow in St. Francis de Sales Cemetery #2.

Ellen is survived by her son, Ronnie Jules Haydel and his wife, Faith Denson Haydel; daughters-in-law, Mary Amedee Haydel and Mary Milton Haydel; grandchildren, Monique Haydel Trahan, Darren Haydel and his wife, Sarah, Sarah Haydel Chauvin, Lee Haydel and his wife, Helga, Greg Haydel and his wife, Kellie, Jules Haydel, and Nicole Haydel Falcon and her husband, Jared. She is also survived by twelve great-grandchildren, Blake Trahan, Zachary Trahan, Seth Trahan, Brooke Haydel, Katie Haydel Daigle, Morgan Haydel, Taylor Haydel, Noah Chauvin, Emma Chauvin, Alex Haydel, Millie Falcon, and James Falcon.

Having been blessed with more than a century of life, Ellen was preceded in death by many beloved family members and friends. Most recently, the loss of her sons, John Harold Haydel and Barry Paul Haydel, and her grandson, Beau Haydel. She was also preceded in death by her loving husband of 62 years, Andrew Jules Haydel, and her parents, Elphege Arceneaux and Olivia Gaudin Arceneaux. Ellen was the baby of the family and was preceded in death by her four siblings, Velda Arceneaux James, Velma Arceneaux Blanchard, Arthur Arceneaux, and Edna Arceneaux Girior. Her family takes comfort in knowing that Heaven will be a joyous reunion with so many she loved and missed.

Ellen lived a life of faithful devotion to Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and St. Thérèse. She followed their example and found holiness in the small, ordinary acts of everyday life. She lived a simple life marked by Jesus' teaching to love your neighbor, and she devoted her time on Earth to caring for those she loved.

To her family, she was a prayer giant who led by example. Prayer was not something she simply talked about; it was a daily practice woven into her life. Her devotion, discipline, and visible faith left a lasting impression on those around her. When someone she loved faced a worry, she prayed. When they traveled, she lit a candle for their safe return. A novena was never far from her thoughts, and her family always knew they could count on MaMa Ellen's prayers.

Throughout her life, Ellen had a special gift for caring for those she loved, young and old.

From the baby years through illness and aging, she cared for her family with tenderness, patience, and, above all, dignity. It is fitting that this same gift lives on in her oldest granddaughter, Monique, who lovingly cared for her grandmother in the final years of her life and whom MaMa Ellen affectionately called her "guardian angel." The Haydel family will always be grateful for the extraordinary love and devotion Monique showed our Mama Ellen.

Ellen was also blessed with four loving caregivers, Jennifer Brunet, Debbie Mitchell, Nichole Sandeford, and Evelina Tillman. The Haydel family would also like to thank Dr.

Dicky Haydel and HL Haydel Memorial Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to either St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, an organization Ellen faithfully supported for 46 years, or The V Foundation of South Louisiana, supporting Vandebilt Catholic High School.

Chauvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the Haydel family.