Jeanette Alcon

Broussard - Jeanette Alcon - Joyful energetic body; loving compassionate heart; reflective alert mind; lightness of being. That was the essence of Jeanette Alcon, 76, who died on June 30, 2024, at Calcutta House in Lafayette following an accidental fall. A resident of Broussard, Jeanette was born August 22, 1947, to New Mexico natives Marina Rivera of Rainsville and Abenancio “Ben” Alcon of Ojo Feliz, in Cheyenne, WY. After entering the convent at age 13, she graduated high school from Our Lady of Sorrows Convent. She went on to take her first vows before moving to Arkansas to complete her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas, with emphasis on foreign languages. She received post-graduate training in business administration, personnel management, and fundraising. In 1973, she moved to New Orleans, quickly making her mark in Louisiana. Within a year, she was elected to the New Orleans Mayor’s Human Relations Committee. From 1973 – 1974, she served as Senior Center Director for the New Orleans Council on Aging. The following year, she was appointed as Director of Aging Services for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. She also served on the Governor’s Folklife Commission from 1982-88, and the Governor’s Employment and Training Council from 1979-90. As a descendant of the Ute and Pueblo tribes, Jeanette was proud of her native American heritage, serving as founding Executive Director of both the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana in Baton Rouge from 1975-1988, and the Institute of Indian Development, which provided service programs for the development of Native Americans living in South Louisiana. After relocating to Lafayette in 1988, she co-founded Sickey, Alcon and Associates, which provided consulting services to tribal governments and local companies in the areas of personnel, research and development, marketing, business development, and financial recruitment. Additionally, she served as a Certified Diversity Trainer for the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), an international non-profit leadership development network dedicated to eliminating racism and other forms of oppression, where she presented diversity training workshops throughout the community from 1993-1998. Jeanette continued her nonprofit work during her stint as Executive Director of the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic for 20 years. Through her guidance and managerial efforts, the Clinic grew from providing basic medical and dental services only, once per week, to an expanded list of seven different clinics serving clients five days a week. Her numerous civic and professional associations included several governmental task forces focusing on human relations, employment training and minority needs. She served on the Mayor Commission of Needs of Women, Lafayette, from 1992-1996; Board of Directors’ Nominating Committee and Minority Audit Committee, Acadiana Girl Scouts Council, from 1990-1992, and graduated from the Leadership Lafayette Class XVII in 2003. She also served as Vice President and Treasurer for the U.S. Department of Labor, Federal Region VI. As a member of the CETA Task Force, which designs training modules for national employment training programs and develops policy for implementation of programs, she provided input to the legislative process through the Native American Coalition. She also was President of Planned Giving Council of Acadiana from 2000-2010, Volunteer Executive Director of Louisiana Free Clinic Association, and served as a Lafayette General Hospital Board Member from 2010 forward. After her retirement from the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic, her favorite job title became Nana. When her granddaughter, Hanna, was born, Jeanette referred to her as “her heart”. She made frequent trips to Atlanta to see and spend time with her daughter, Rachel, during this precious time. During her non-Nana duties, Jeanette founded Buddy’s Pal’s Pet Care Services, a pet sitting service, in honor of her beloved dog Buddy. Her canine clients became so attached that she sometimes spent the night at their owners’ homes to comfort them. In her journal, Jeanette wrote the following, which summed up her thoughts on life quite succinctly: “I’ve lived a very extraordinary ordinary life. Extraordinary in the many blessings it has brought me: my two beautiful children and my heart Hanna! Good health, loving friends, and heartbreaks that have brought me closer to ME and the source from which I come.” “Life on earth is filled with incomprehensible challenges but supported by the Universe of which we are apart! We spend a lifetime opening our hearts to that support … Allowing our mother, the Universe, to wrap its loving arms around us and hold us up!” Jeanette is survived by daughter Rachel (Casey Shea) Campos and granddaughter Hanna of Atlanta, GA; son Jonathan Campos and partner Emily Newman of New Orleans; sisters Rosemary Alcon of Mayflower, AR, Maxine Nakai of Rio Rancho, NM, Kathy Alcon of Taos, NM, Connie (Paul) Branscum of Maumelle, AR; brother Robert (Pam) Alcon, of Greenbriar, AR; nieces and nephews Erin Lyon, Nicholas Nash, Robert “Robbie” Nakai, Stephen Nash, Benjamin “Benji” Nakai, Constance Mittermeier, Kaitlin Nash, Kathleen Branscum Hoang and Luke Branscum, and her beloved pup, Tough In Jeanette’s honor, family and friends are hosting a Celebration of Life. All loved ones are welcome to join them in celebrating her beautiful life at Warehouse 535, https://warehouse535.com/, on August 2, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends contribute to: https://gofund.me/1702f344.