Human condition: a last ride that will never be forgotten | Entertainment / Life
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Andrew “Bob” Babineaux passed away at his home in Erath on July 29 surrounded by his beloved 63-year-old wife Romona and family.
Bob was born on December 19, 1937 and grew up in the fishing village of Delcambre. He meets Romona, the love of his life, in a little cafe in Erath.
Bob, a unique Cajun, was an always enthusiastic hard worker, who was the proud owner of Babineaux’s Body Shop, where he worked until one day he fell ill in January. The meticulously maintained shop contains hundreds of tools displayed in an orderly fashion, covering every square inch of wall space. He painted a cryptic sign above the shop door that read: “No credit, not even to President Biden or even to the first lady.” Whenever a new president was elected, he painted the name of the old one and inserted the name of the new one.
Bob had an employee, Ronnie Hebert, who was his cheerful sidekick. Ronnie was always interested in making sure all customers were happy. Every Friday at noon, friends took turns bringing delicious lunch plates to the store to share sitting under the oak tree.
To show how much he appreciated their patronage, Bob was well known for bringing all his clients Mexican blankets and vanilla extract from his annual trip to the Mexican border. He also personally delivered freshly harvested local corn and boxes of sweet potatoes to his customers.
But Bob was probably most famous for his beloved silver truck made up of parts from various other vintage cars and trucks. This resulted in a mishmash of pieces that fit together surprisingly well. This vehicle was similar to the story told in Johnny Cash’s 1976 hit song “One Piece at a Time”, where parts stolen from a GM factory over a 25-year period were reassembled to create a ” cadillac psychobilly “.
What was originally Bob’s 1968 Chevy C10 had over 2 million miles. The front grille was from a Volvo. The rear was a 1979 Suburban. The four Cadillac grille covers date from the 1990s. It had a Chevy 350 engine with an automatic transmission. The cabin was enlarged to put an extra fuel tank inside, and later he installed a Rhino Liner on the truck bed, a vinyl car roof, and a dual exhaust system. The radio only had one speaker in the dashboard and the truck had no air conditioning or spare tire. The vehicle also did not have a seat belt until his wife was arrested by state police who ordered them. Every Thursday he washed and waxed his truck.
His last wish was for his coffin to be transported on that “last mile” from the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Erath to the cemetery of Delcambre in the back of his beloved truck. The family granted his wish. Bob’s son Marty Babineaux drove the truck to the cemetery, and Marty’s son Matthew Babineaux was in the middle and Dennis Mouton Jr. was on the passenger side. Matt and Dennis were Bob’s only grandsons.
– Perrin lives in Lafayette
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