Eva Ann Bourgeois

Eva Ann Creighton was born October 16, 1923, in Port Arthur, to William Henry and Lucie Eva Petitfils Creighton. She was a delicately beautiful baby, born in a family of 4 beautiful daughters. She grew up in a home filled with love, laughter and a strong Catholic faith.

She met and fell in love with her high school sweetheart, Howard Joseph Bourgeois. After graduation, he joined the military and she attended Port Arthur Business College and then went to work in the office of the Orange shipyard. She took a brief trip to Laredo, Texas to visit Howard, who was stationed there with the U.S. Army Air Corp. Howard immediately took advantage of the opportunity and talked her into marrying him, and she became a wartime bride on February 4, 1942 in Laredo. They had a 2 - day honeymoon in San Antonio, at the St. Anthony Hotel. Needless to say, she reported she was very nervous to return to Port Arthur and reveal to her parents that she was now married. But, her parents were supportive and Howard became and remained a well-loved son-in-law. They were married 68 years.  Howard predeceased her in 2011.

At the end of the war, she and her husband settled down and raised their children in their hometown of Port Arthur. Their home was one of future dreams and high expectations. All of the children have degrees from Lamar University, and several have advanced degrees. The expectation was that education did not end with high school graduation. Through the years, she and her husband also established a home and beach camp that always welcomed family, friends and neighbors. Eva was an integral part of that hospitality. She was an excellent Cajun cook and everyone who entered her home was welcomed and fed. Gumbo, bar-b-q crabs, dirty rice, coconut cake and fig cobbler were just a few of her signature dishes. Epic in hospitality included her annual Christmas Eve celebration, where her home was always filled with family, friends and neighbors who were wined, dined, sang Christmas carols and danced.

Eva and her husband were one of the founding families of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where she remained an active member of the Alter Society for 50 years. She and her husband moved to Katy in 2001, to be closer to her 7 children, 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She passed away peacefully, in her home surrounded by those she loved, on Thanksgiving morning, a fitting day to remember and give thanks for her life and her legacy of love and family.

Eva had 7 children: Howard Joseph Jr. (deceased) and wife Yvonne Bourgeois of Spring; Eva Ann Bourgeois and husband David Rhodes of Grapevine; Henry Michael and wife Marsha Bourgeois of Houston; Mark Adam and wife Barbara Bourgeois of Jacksonville, FL; Kirk James and wife Lisa Bourgeois of Baytown; Bridget Bourgeois and husband Carl Turner of Atlanta, GA; Fay Marie Bourgeois and husband Jim Salvagio of Katy. She had 14 grandchildren and 13 great - grandchildren.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 from 5:00 PM till 8:00 PM with a rosary to be prayed at 6:00 PM at Clayton Thompson Funeral Home in Groves. Service to honor Eva’s life will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Wednesday, November 28, 2018 in the Thompson Memorial Chapel at Clayton Thompson. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park.