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Lafourche Parish Cajun loved to cook and took pride in his vegetable garden. “L.J.” died on June 9. He was 66.
Very rarely did Lockport native Lawrence “L.J.” Adams cook a meal for just one person.
That wasn’t quite his style.
L.J. was the type of guy who always made sure that his dishes could feed a small army Or perhaps more literally he made sure they could feed everyone in his extended family Because once dinner was ready it meant they’d come. And by them coming, it meant L.J. got to spend valuable time with the people he loved most.
An avid chef, a lover of the outdoors and a loyal employee of Bollinger Shipyards for 49 years, L.J. died on June 9. He was 66.
Family members remember L.J. for his ability to always be helpful in any situation — the kind of guy who always lent a hand whenever he could.
L.J. was survived by his wife Sharon Adams; sons Robby and Carl; daughters Patty Loupe and Amy Adams; brothers Bobby and Tony; and sister JoAnn Marcombe.
L.J. also had several grandchildren and step grandchildren, as well as one step great-grandchild.
“I always asked for his help with problems,” Patty Loupe said of her father. “And he always had a solution. It may have taken a little time to get a reply back, but it was just because he was thinking over the best solution or multiple solutions. He always helped anyone that asked. He helped even when you didn’t ask.”
The folks at Bollinger Shipyards know what Patty said to especially be true.
L.J. worked for the company for 49 years as a shipbuilder. It was a job he loved to his core.
“He was dedicated to Bollinger and all employees to whom he worked with,” Robby Adams said.
“It was his second home and family,” Patty added. “He loved his job.”
What made L.J. so good at his work was the passion with which he attacked each project. Robby said he remembers one time when he and his father were bass fishing on a Sunday afternoon. After a couple casts, L.J. immediately expressed excitement, which confused Robby, who was then a child.
Upon being asked what the excitement was about, L.J. told his son that he had just thought of a solution to a problem that had been going on at work.
“He said out loud, ‘That’s it,”‘ Robby remembered. “I asked him, ‘What’s it?’ And he told me that he had just figured out an issue at work. I told him back, ‘Mais Dad, you knocked off at 11 a.m. on Friday.’ He said back, ‘Your mind is always working son, so don’t forget that.'”
“He taught the art of shipbuilding trade to many individuals,” L.J.’s brother Bobby added. “I know. I was one of them.”
When not at home, L.J. had a long list of passions. But they all seemed to be tied together by two things — the outdoors and family.
L.J. loved to fish. Earlier in life, he was also an avid hunter who’d spend his share of time at the camp with friends.
When not fishing, L.J. spent countless hours in his vegetable garden trying to grow things to share with his family.
Patty said it was one of her father’s favorite things in the world to do.
“He loved his vegetable garden,” Patty said. “He was so proud of his garden.”
With the fish he caught and the vegetables he grew, there was often a family feast soon to follow.
Family members said L.J. cooked every Sunday Not just for himself, but for the entire family and even some friends, too.
Bobby often attended those gatherings. He also said the family would have a pig roast to celebrate Easter every year.
He said L.J. was an excellent cook, adding that his love for it blended into the dishes and made them special.
“He had a passion for cooking,” Bobby said of his brother. “And he was good at it. His jambalaya and white beans were the best. At Easter, his sons and brother-in-law would be roasting the pig and his wife and daughters would be baking the cakes. Everyone was invited. That was his enjoyment — to see family and friends together. At one time, I’ve seen over 200 people gathered there for one Easter.”
When family was around, L.J. was at his happiest.
And when they weren’t, he always made sure to keep up with everyone going on.
Patty and Robby both agreed their dad was a loving, concerned father who’d do anything he could to help his wife or kids.
Bobby said L.J. used to call him once a week — if not more — just to see how things were going.
The last time they spoke, L.J. told his brother he’d surprise him soon with a visit — a visit that never got to take place.
But the brother and family said they take solace in knowing that even while no longer here in the flesh, L.J.’s loving ways live on through everyone he met and encountered during his time on earth.
“At the end of that phone call, he would always say, ‘Catch you later. I love you man!’ And I’d say back, ‘L. J., I love you too man!’ And I’ll miss you, too.”
Lawrence “L.J.” Adams shows off one of his greatest sources of pride — the cucumbers he grew from his vegetable garden. Family members remembered L.J. this week as a man who always gave his time to anyone in need. He worked at Bollinger Shipyards for 49 years.
