Alcee "Red" Boudreaux gives the advice, 'Have faith and help others when you can'

Alcee "Red" Boudreaux of Lawtell counts his blessings as he embarks on 90 years of life. “I'm blessed in so many ways from the life I lived, the children I had and the faith that I have."

LAWTELL, La. (KLFY) – Alcee "Red" Boudreaux of Lawtell counts his blessings as he embarks on 90 years of life. “I'm blessed in so many ways from the life I lived, the children I had and the faith that I have," Boudreaux said.

His family moved from Church Point as former sharecroppers. "My momma inherited 16 acres of land from her parents. I'm one of 13," Boudreaux stated. His dream for the future was simpler than most people. "My dream when I was young was to become 18 years of age," he explained.

Later in life Boudreaux learned to realize and respect his dad for being the father he was. "I was not the friend to my daddy that I was to my momma because of his drinking. I didn’t realize the man he was until after he passed away." As the saying goes, it takes a man to know the true trials of being a man. "The man that he was to have raised thirteen children; never a day we did not eat." Boudreaux added

Alcee and his wife have been married for 71 years. "I asked her three different times because in my faith you just marry once and that's for better or for worse. You got to live with what you got."

Early in the marriage, the couple moved to San Antonio, Texas because Alcee was in the U.S. Airforce. Thanks to the landlord the couple was able to thrive in Texas. "She said, '’Do you really want an apartment?’ I said yes ma’am, I really like to have my wife join me over here. Well okay, $30 a month," he laughed.

As time went on, the family of two grew to a family of ten. They had eight children which included a set of twins. "I built this house myself. The only thing I didn't do on the house is put brick.

Alcee's advice is to have faith and help others when you can. "The one thing my mother always told me is that when you're able to work, help others. The good Lord will bless you ten times more than you had," he said.

Boudreaux is a member of The Cajun French Music Association. French was his first language. Eventually, Boudreaux taught himself to speak English. The family says his nickname is "Red" because he had red hair.