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Beloved diner owner remembered with memorial after deadly fire that killed three
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OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) -- Jermaine Doucet, the owner of Fatbelly's Diner in Opelousas, was honored with a memorial at North City Park days after he, his girlfriend and her child were tragically killed in a fire.
"If you walked into his restaurant, no matter how you went there feeling, you were going to leave uplifted, laughing," said Melissa Doucet, Jermaine's older sister. "It wasn't just a place to eat. A lot of his friends called it a safe place."
Jermaine, along with Raquel Harris and her nine-year-old daughter Skylar Tapp, died in a fire at Fat Belly's Diner. The diner was known as a community hub where people gathered not just for food but for camaraderie and support.
"His words would be right now, 'What are you crying for? Don't cry for me.' He would want us to be happy. He would want us to celebrate," Melissa said.
Fat Belly's Diner was more than just a place to eat; it was considered a safe haven by many of Doucet's friends and patrons. Jermaine was known for his generosity, often donating meals to homeless shelters in St. Landry Parish.
"I'm burying my parent. Even though that's the order of life, it's still unreal. I thought we had more time, but you never know what God has in store," said Daejah Baker, Jermaine's oldest daughter.
The memorial at North City Park featured balloons filling the sky in remembrance of Jermaine. Outside the diner, flowers and balloons have been placed as a tribute to the lives lost.
Baker expressed hope that Fat Belly's Diner would continue to serve as a community gathering place, maintaining her father's legacy of bringing people together.
"The plan is to eventually keep his legacy moving and growing and just thriving in the community," said Baker. "We wouldn't want something as big as this, that can bring this many people together to just die."
While Fat Belly's Diner has temporarily closed, the community remembers Jermaine for his contributions and the joy he brought to others. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.