Denise DeLony

Yvonne Denise Festavan DeLony, age 70, of the Blanchard, Louisiana area passed away on Saturday, June 1, 2024. She was born October 14, 1953, in Shreveport, Louisiana to Jack and Virginia Festavan. She was a Fair Park High graduate, class of 1971, and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Northeast Louisiana University. She married Jack “Andy” DeLony, Jr. on August 26, 1976, after only knowing each other for six weeks. When you know, you know. And what they knew was he was going to pick on her excessively and she loved almost every minute of it. They shared 47 and a half sweet years and two children, Jodie White and her husband, Ray White, and Patrick DeLony who loved her very much. Denise was more famously known as Nana, a role she took very seriously. Jordan Falcon(Grant), Cole Denler(Allie Williams), and Anderson White were her absolute pride and joy. She spent countless hours road-tripping, baseball watching, dance-line spectating and mutton-bustin’ rodeoing were among some of the many adventures Nana loved to do with her grandkids. There is also a passell of young people that adopted her as their Nana, and she loved them dearly.  She added great-grandmother of August “Gus” Falcon to her Nana repertoire in May. Denise has one sister Julie Powell and one brother Ronald Festavan to whom she was very close and loved immensely. She had three sisters-in-love who were as close as any sister could be Ladonna Thomason, Lenna Taylor, and Lee Ann Lane. She had three brothers-in-love Johnny Thomason, John Taylor, and Jerry Lane who loved her very much. Denise was busting at the seams with nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and even great great nieces and nephews that all called her Aunt Nesi and she truly enjoyed every minute she got to spend with them as children and adults. There aren’t enough words to express her love and adoration for her family.

Denise was a friend’s friend. She had friends spanning her whole life, to friends she just met. She was a 40+ year member of Trinity Heights Baptist Church and the Fresh Hope Sunday school class. The relationships formed from this class have meant more to her than she could ever express. The sharing of friendship, faith, and mutual love for the Lord guided and supported her throughout her life. While Denise had a gaggle of friends, there were three childhood friends that stuck together through all life had to throw at them and are still very close and love one another to this day.

Denise was an avid LSU Tiger fan and it didn’t really matter the sport. She loved going to Death Valley on Saturday nights and screaming her tail off for the Tigers. STTDB!! If you know, you know. Traveling with her Tiger buddies for Tiger road trips were among her favorite weekends. There was no telling what outfit they would come to town in, but know it would be unforgettable. Denise loved a good Christian concert and antiquing with her girls. She loved working in her yard and greenhouse. Pokeno with her ladies was always a once-a-month treat. She had a passion for having a good time and loved to laugh.

Denise is preceded in death by her parents, Jack, and Virginia Festavan, and her father and mother-in-law, Jack and Betty Sue DeLony. There is no doubt these four people, who meant so much to her, were waiting for her at Heaven’s Gates to lead her home.

We will celebrate Denise’s life with a time of visitation on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Bossier, 2201Airline Dr., Bossier City. The service will be Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Bossier with a burial service in Bradley, AR at Walnut Hill Cemetery, County Road 2, Bradley AR 71826.

Honoring her as pallbearers will be Cole Denler, Ray White, Danny Thomason, Chad Taylor, Jack Taylor, Dawson Taylor, Harrison Ayres, and Jerry Lane. Honorary pallbearers will be Anderson White, Kyh Allen, Wayne Childers, Kenny Ray Wallace, Sonny Croswell, Putt Van, and Brandon Lawson.

The family would like to thank all of Denise’s friends that have come to visit and support her in her lengthy illness. They were a constant source of inspiration, hope, and comfort. To the ICU team at Willis Knighton Pierremont, the rehabilitation team at Willis Knighton Outpatient Rehab, and the second-floor step-down unit at Willis Knighton South you guys really gave her a fighting chance and were major comforts to the family and friends that had gathered. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Gideon International, www.gideons.org.

We will always remember her laugh, her big love, and her audaciousness for life! Geaux get’em Nana. We will always love you!