Audrey McCrory Lapeyrolerie, 98, Bridge City

Audrey McCrory Lapeyrolerie, 98, of Bridge City, Texas, passed away on June 2, 2023, at her home.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 10, 2023, at St. Henry Catholic Church in Bridge City. Officiating will be Father Ernie. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Orange, Texas.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, June 9, 2023, at Claybar Funeral Home in Bridge City. The Cursillo Rosary will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Born in Hobart, Louisiana, on March 18, 1925, she was the daughter of Prentiss McCrory and Cora Delaune. Having lost her mother as an infant, the youngest of eight children, Audrey was raised by her aunt and uncle. She attended school at St. Gabriel, where she met her future husband, Arlie “Buster” Lapeyrolerie. They were married June 28, 1944, while Buster was on leave from the Navy. After the war they moved to Carville, Louisiana. In 1953 they moved to Orange, Texas with their first four children, when Buster was hired at DuPont. The following year, they found a place in Bridge City, where they could pursue their dream of a “house full of kids, a big garden, and a yard full of chickens”. Four more kids soon followed.

Audrey Loved homemaking, gardening, cooking, sewing, and traveling (which often involved camping). She was a member of the Alter Society at St. Henry Catholic Church for many years and also volunteered at the Hospitality Center. Other favorite pastimes were going dancing almost every weekend and attending yearly reunions with Buster’s Navy shipmates all over the country. Audrey will be missed beyond words by all who loved her and depended on her for her unconditional love, help, and guidance.

She is preceded in death by her husband, A.J. “Buster” Lapeyrolerie; parents, Prentiss McCrory and Cora Delaune; daughter-in-law, Sheri Fudge Lapeyrolerie; grandsons, Brad Lapeyrolerie and James Lapeyrolerie; daughters, Theresa Lapeyrolerie, Nora Lapeyrolerie, and Cora Lapeyrolerie; sisters, Dot and Jewel; brothers, Edgar, Jimmy, Elegene, Bob, and Eldred; and her aunt and uncle who raised her, Roberta and Bill McCrory. 

She is survived by her daughters, Ann Lieby of Bridge City, Amy King of Bridge City, Janice Mahan and husband, Frank of Groves, Texas; and Jean Lapeyrolerie of Port Neches; sons, Arlie Lapeyrolerie and wife, Karen of Bridge City, Brad Lapeyrolerie and wife, Brenda of Bridge City, Bill Lapeyrolerie and wife, Shana of Woodville, Texas, and Paul Lapeyrolerie and wife, Lisa of Bridge City; her 18 grandchildren; her 18 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Ina Brownlow; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Serving as pallbearers will be Vince Lapeyrolerie, Michael Lapeyrolerie, John Lapeyrolerie, John Lewing, Scott Mahan, and James Ruggles.