We mournfully announce the passing of Linda “Pishue” Vincent Dahlen of Grand Lake; formerly of Creole. She passed away on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 at Harbor Hospice with her family at her side after a long, quiet, and prayerful battle with mycosis fungoides, a rare subcutaneous lymphoma. Even during her final weeks and days of suffering from her disease, she offered up her suffering as prayer for others.
She was born to Allie D. and Jules “Chun” Vincent on Aug. 5, 1941 in Creole. She graduated from Grand Chenier High School in 1958. While she was working in Cameron at Fred’s Restaurant, she met the love of her life: Richard Dahlen, a Yankee from New Jersey. They began dating in 1956. After she successfully converted him from a Yankee into a Cajun, she went on to convert him to Catholicism.
They then wed on July 18, 1959. It is in their love for God, each other, and their dedication to the Catholic Church that they built their family upon by having three boys and one girl. They further expanded their family with their niece, Ivy. They raised their family to live off of the land in Little Chenier and to pray at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Creole.
She graduated from Sowela Technical Institute in 1978 and became a LPN. She worked at Dr. Clark’s office in Cameron for 35 years. In 1997, at the age of 56, she earned her Associates Degree in Nursing from Lamar State University in Orange, Texas and went on to become a Registered Nurse for home health for several years. A few years later, she continued on to study yet again and became a massage therapist. She and her husband also operated Fredman’s in Creole for many years.
Pishue was a musician’s musician, always ready to join the music. She was unashamed with her guitar and was not too self-conscious to pick it up and play with anyone else. If she came across a jam session and didn’t have her guitar, she would find one and jump in. As anyone with talent knows, talent is useless without hard work. She was one of the hardest working women you could know. If you had to pick a profession for her, it would be hard to choose between duck plucker, muskrat, nutria, and alligator skinner, oyster shucker, massage therapist, bar tender, and Registered Nurse.
Anyone who knew Pishue will remember her as a kind, gentle, and selfless soul who worked tirelessly to further the Catholic mission by singing and playing guitar for the choir at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Creole, where she was also a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. She also took many teenage Catholics to conferences and social events. Her devotion to the Church was solidified when she received the Papal Medal Benemerenti from Pope John Paul II. Her family will remember her for all of these things, and they will also remember her love for saving Ziplock bags and junk mail, her ability to write her initials and the date on anything, and who can forget her whistle that was so loud it could reach East Creole and even Chenier Perdue on a day with the right winds.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Allie D. and Jules Vincent; brothers, Amos (Louverta) Vincent, William “Burt” (Veda) Vincent; daughter Katherine; son, Roderick; and “adopted son”, Dr. Nandy del Mundo.
She leaves behind her devoted husband of 64 years, Richard Dahlen of Grand Lake; sons, Peter (Sophia) of Lake Charles and Richard James (Nadine) of Grand Chenier; daughter, Mary of Grand Lake. She also leaves behind 10 grandchildren: Joshua (Johnathon), Jacob, Jared, Kory (Caroline), Ross, Dane, and Kayla Dahlen, Aaron Duhon, Katie Deshotel, and Kinlee Boudreaux; six great-grandchildren: L’nae, Treyce, Charlotte, Anna Catherine, Adaline, and Andie Faye. She also leaves behind her big sister, Dorothy Manuel of Little Chenier; her niece, Ivy LeBoeuf of Grand Lake; special friends, Myrna Conner and Claudia Trahan Savoie; as well as countless other family, relatives, and friends that she prayed for daily.
On Monday, Jan. 15, her family tried one last time to get her to be on time, but she was still late for her own 11 a.m. funeral mass at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. Burial followed at Our Lady of the Marsh Cemetery in Little Chenier.
The family would like to thank the staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Christus St. Patrick Hospital, Harbor Hospice, WalMart Pharmacy, Dr. Michael Broussard, and especially Anna Landry, NP.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 5250 W. Creole Hwy, Cameron LA 70631.
(Paid Memorial)