Annabelle Simien Amos

"Tee Belle"

The journey of this life for Annabelle Simien Amos began on September 18, 1938, when she was born in Mallet, Louisiana to Carlton Antoine Simien and Martha Leger Simien. Annabelle was the third of five children, coming after Rose and Joseph, and before Mary Lynn and Albert. Carlton and Martha were sharecroppers who would later make a home for their family in Prairie Ronde. "Tee Belle" was the name they, along with other loved ones, fondly called her. In the Simien family's first language of French (Louisiana Creole), "tee" is an abbreviation for "petite." With "belle" meaning "beautiful," "Tee Belle" was a fitting nickname for the "little beauty."

Annabelle grew up picking cotton, milking cows, chopping wood, and performing a multitude of other farm-related chores. Her childhood was spent doing such backbreaking work that she would often jokingly say "she's been a man since the age of five." None of the Simien children attended a single day of school in their lives and none of them ever learned to read, but they were not ashamed of this because each was confident that they had more common sense than anyone. Despite not knowing how to read or write (or because of it), they never had a problem counting, especially when it came to money. As an adult, Tee Belle learned to write only her name in all capital letters and could also write digits. In a display of the outstanding memory many who cannot read or write learn to develop, she kept a notebook of loved ones' phone numbers that had no accompanying names. She had the ability to look at a phone number and remember to whom it belonged. She spent a lot of time multi-tasking while on the phone with loved ones and especially enjoyed conversations in French with other bilingual family members. Tee Belle did not begin learning the English language until about the age of 9.

Tee Belle and Jules Amos, the man who would become her husband, grew up just miles apart and attended the same church in the Gradney Island Community of St. Landry Parish. A cousin of Jules recalls him saying that he had met a "beautiful girl with a flower in her hair" at a church event. Tee Belle and Jules married on November 8, 1966 at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Opelousas, where they settled. Their first child, Joseph Gerald Amos (Jerry), was born exactly one year and two days later. Tee Belle was three months pregnant with their second son, Paul James Amos, when Jules died in April of 1968.

Widowed with two young boys, Tee Belle started a new life in Lake Charles where her sister, Rose, and brother, Albert, lived. She vowed to remain independent from that time forward, a promise she did not break. Two more children would follow, this time girls, Jackie Marie and Jennifer Rose, who were six years apart in age.

Though she never remarried, Tee Belle enjoyed more than 40 years of companionship with Cleveland Joseph Broussard. They found great pleasure in being with family and attending zydeco dances. With Tee Belle being a woman of many words and an excellent cook, and Cleveland being a man of few words who loved to eat, they complemented each other very well.

Tee Belle birthed four children, but as a longtime childcare giver, she was a mother to many others. The love language she spoke to these children came in the form of cleaning them, keeping their bellies full and styling their hair. She would later use her talents as a meticulous homemaker to serve several families in Lake Charles as a housekeeper and caregiver to the elderly.

The motherly nature Tee Belle possessed extended to the children of Sunlight Manor. The apartment complex in the Fisherville Community was her home for 50 years. She was the neighborhood's "Kool-Aid Lady," but was better known for being one of the mothers of the complex. Children in the neighborhood had respect for Ms. Annabelle, as they called her. They also had a healthy amount of fear of her. For many years, Tee Belle, the late Jessie Mae Simpson Delahoussaye (her upstairs neighbor, better known as "Big Mama"), and the late Ethel Woods (who lived in the next set of apartments), "commanded" the Winterhalter Street side of Sunlight Manor and are considered legends by those who grew up there.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church was within walking distance of Sunlight Manor. Never learning to drive, Tee Belle often walked with her young children to Sunday Mass. The Catholic Church always provided a great source of hope and strength for Tee Belle, which she would need to endure the extraordinary challenges life brought her. It was her faith that allowed her to survive the devastating loss of her first born child, Jerry (when he was only 11 years old), and more recently, two breast cancer diagnoses. Tee Belle would whisper prayers over the heads of her young daughters as she combed their hair. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) was a constant in her home.

You never had to wonder what Tee Belle was thinking because she would not hesitate to tell you. Employees of Rosewood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center experienced a taste of that directness, as Tee Belle spent her final year of life at the facility. In addition to her unfiltered nature, she will forever be remembered for piling the dinner plates of visitors to her home and providing an even larger portion when asked for seconds to "make sure you got enough." She will be remembered for her made-from-scratch carrot cakes, her love of the "Days Of Our Lives" soap opera (the source of Jennifer Rose's name), lovingly fussing with those she cared about and the care she took with everything she did. Few things made her feel better than looking good. Her waist-long hair and unibrow were her trademarks and lipstick and face powder were like medicine to her. Her children will particularly remember the words she left with them with each and every time they parted ways: "Be good and be careful."

Tee Belle's name will not only live on in the hearts of those who personally knew her, but through those introduced to her after her daughter, Jackie, released a children's book titled, "Bonjour, Tee Belle." The 2012 tribute to Tee Belle and her Louisiana Creole heritage is written in English, with a few words in French, to expose young readers to the language. Several videos of Tee Belle discussing various topics in French can also be found on YouTube. "#TeeBelle's Phone Conversation with Cousin Melba" has been viewed more than 84,000 times.

Tee Belle was preceded in death by her husband, Jules Amos; their son, Joseph Gerald Amos (Jerry); her parents, Carlton and Martha Simien; her longtime companion, Cleveland J. Broussard; her sister, Rose Simien Guillory; her brothers, Joseph Simien and Albert Lee Simien Sr.; and her grandson, Paulden Lewis.

The legacy of Tee Belle will continue with her son, Paul James Amos of Lake Charles, LA; and her daughters, Jackie Marie Simien of Beaumont, TX and Jennifer Rose Simien-Soileau (Alvin Jr.) of Lake Charles, LA; her sister, Mary Lynn Thibodeaux of Beaumont, TX; her grandchildren, Paul J. Lewis, Lakyn Simien, and A'Neighya Johnson (Paul's children); Carrington Joseph (Jackie's daughter); and Cobe and Alyk Soileau (Jennifer's children). Also holding on to remembrances of her love are the children of Cleveland Broussard, including James Broussard (Vickie), Marvin Broussard, Bruce Broussard (Janet), and Rapheal Broussard (Donia), all of Lake Charles, and Gregory Broussard of Concord, CA, as well as their children. In addition are her sisters-in-law, Sister Regina Amos with Sisters Of the Holy Family Convent in New Orleans, LA and Betty Amos Francis (Walter) of Beaumont, TX;  and brother-in-law, Clement Amos Sr. of Lafayette, LA. The siblings of Cleveland Broussard, including Viola Broussard Dargin of Baton Rouge, LA; Elizabeth Broussard Calliet (Richard) of Rayne, LA; Gloria Broussard Richard (Lionel) of Iowa, LA; and Mary Ann Broussard of Houston, TX are also counted among the many who will continue to hold treasured memories of Tee Belle.