Leroy J. Modenbach

LeRoy J. Modenbach, Jr., 70, died quietly in his home on May 14, 2011. He had been kindly and professionally cared for by Regina Koehn, R.N. and Joycelyn his aide both of Odyssey Hospice. He was a seven year cancer survivor. He was preceded in death by his parents LeRoy J. Modenbach, Sr. and Mary Stone Modenbach; his youngest child Scot L.J. Modenbach, and his mother-in-law Virginia Fulkerson.
Survivors include his wife of 38 years Pat Fulkerson Modenbach, their three children Neil (Jayme) Modenbach of LaPorte, TX; Christine (Jolyon) Acosta of Tampa, FL, and Mark (Lauryn) Modenbach of Baton Rouge, LA; their five grandchildren Drew and Luke Modenbach of Baton Rouge, LA; Claire and Joseph Acosta of Tampa, FL; Parker Modenbach of LaPorte, TX, and one step-grandson Collin Parker of LaPorte, TX; his brother Fred (Kathleen) Modenbach, Sr. of Slidell, LA, his sister Joan (Eric) Statham of Brandon, FL, and his nephew Fred (Amanda) Modenbach, Jr. of New Orleans, LA.
LeRoy was born in New Orleans, LA, attending grammar schools there and entered St Joseph Seminary at the Benedictine Abbey in Covington, LA, as a ninth grader. He continued his education at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, where he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in December 1966 at St. Peter's Basilica. After laicization, he married Pat. They moved to the MS Gulf Coast when LeRoy was appointed director of Goodwill Industries of South Mississippi. He served the Coast as director for thirty years until his retirement in 2006. For fifteen years, he was also the president of Goodwill Industries Southeastern Association. During ten years with the Gulfport Optimists Club, he was president and district chairman. He was a member of the Rotary Club for many years during this time he founded the Interact Club at Gulfport High School and was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. He served his parish St. James Catholic Church as Chairman of the Finance Committee, Eucharistic minister and lector.
His body has been donated for anatomical study to the Department of Anatomy, University of Mississippi Medical Center. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on May 28, at St. James Catholic Church on Cowan Road in Gulfport, MS, with visitation one hour before services.
The family requests remembrances be sent to The Scot Modenbach Memorial Fund at St. Stanislaus College 304 S. Beach Boulevard, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520.
RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, Gulfport, assisted the family with arrangements.