CHURCH POINT, La. (KLFY) -- Family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes to the former Church Point Mayor Harold Beaugh, who passed away in late November at the age of 101. 

Ryan "Spanky" Meche, Mayor of Church Point, said that Beaugh was a strong community member in Church Point for many years.

“We lost a very big pillar of the community. I mean, he was part of our lives for so many years," said Meche. 

Meche said while he was not under Beaugh’s leadership, when he was a kid Beaugh was the person who did all the proclamations at school. 

“He was really looked up to in this town, and we just tried to continue on what he built,” said the Mayor. “I mean, he was a councilman in the sixties, I mean, when you're a leader in this town from the sixties all the way to almost 2000, that's a very big pillar of the community, in my view.” 

Many family and friends gathered at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church for the mass. Beaugh served on the town’s council and was the longest-running mayor from 1974 until 1999. 

Roger Boudreaux reflected on the faith Beaugh had in him to run for mayor himself after he decided to retire at the age of 80 years old. 

“Mr. Harold is the one who asked me to run. I was serving on his council, and he told me he didn't want to be mayor at 80 years old," said Boudreaux. "So he retired, and I ran and served for 16 years. Mr. Harold was a very kind and generous man. He taught me everything I knew. You know, I was a truck driver and thought I could be mayor, and he had confidence in me, and I'm glad he did because I enjoyed my 16 years of serving as mayor.” 

Boudreaux said the last thing Beaugh did as mayor was get money to do a $2.1 million upgrade on the town’s water plant. 

“Back then, we were some of the lucky ones because of the fact that we were able to get so many grants. He did it without getting all those grants. He just moved town forward,” Boudreaux said. 

Right next to the church, they laid Beaugh’s body to rest and did the Cemetery Committal. 

"He's going to be deeply missed, and I just wish I could live until at least 101 like him,” said Boudreaux. 

Church Point is honoring the former mayor by raising flags at half-staff in the town starting Thursday, Nov. 30, until Friday, Dec. 8.

You can read his obituary here.

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