Colonel Reneau Griffing Breard

Funeral services will be held for Reneau Griffing Breard, 99, of Monroe, LA, on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 11:00AM. at Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Monroe, LA with Father Tim Hurd and Deacon Tom Deal officiating. Interment will follow at St. Mathew Catholic Cemetery, Monroe, LA, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road.

Reneau was born on October 14, 1920, in Monroe, Louisiana and passed away after a brief illness on January 4, 2020, in his apartment at St. Joseph’s Assisted Living in Monroe. He is a descendant of one of the city’s founding fathers, a French officer who fought with the American colonists against England in the Revolutionary War. His grandfather, Daniel Armand Breard, served in the Civil War and fought at Gettysburg. Reneau is preceded in death by his wife, Anne Goodman Breard of Leicester, England, whom he met while stationed there during WWII. They were married on July 19, 1945, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Leicester and celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in 2014.


Reneau began his military career at Neville High School by attending the Military Training Camp in Alexandria, Louisiana for three summers. As an undergraduate at LSU, he served in the ROTC Cadet Corps. In 1942, Reneau was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and he volunteered to go to parachute school at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He made his first combat jump in 1943 at Paestum, Italy as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Reneau later fought in Operation Market Garden in Holland and the Battle of the Bulge. When the war ended, he was sent to Berlin for occupation duty. Reneau was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, and a Presidential Unit Citation. Serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, he retired in 1975 as a full colonel.

Reneau was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved hunting at Africa and Duck Pond Hunting Camps, traveling to his former battlefields and all over the world, attending paratrooper reunions, playing dominoes, reading, and assisting aspiring World War II writers. One of his greatest honors was when he was asked to write the foreword to Brothers in Arms, the history of the A Company, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Reneau was vice-president of the family business, Monroe Office Equipment, and he served as district governor for the National Office Products Association. He was a founding member of Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church and a member of the Monroe Rotary Club for 50 years.

Reneau is preceded in death by his parents, Edith Griffing Breard and Daniel Armand Breard; sisters, Nellie Pugh and Mary Edith Hayes; brothers, Jack Hendricks Breard and Armand Vaughn Breard; and daughter, Renee Ellen Wright.
He is survived by his sons, Daniel A. Breard and wife Judy and Ken Breard and wife Susan; grandchildren, Daniel A. Breard Jr. and wife Miranda, Mamie Breard, Christopher Breard and wife Meg, and Griffing Breard and wife Paige; great-grandchildren, Mary Kathryn Breard, George Daniel Breard, Caroline Breard, and Cate Breard. Also, Reneau is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Danny Breard, Christopher Breard, Daniel Breard, Griffing Breard, Jack Breard, Ernest Breard, Peter Hayes, and Ely McPherson. Memorials may be made to the Catholic Chapel at St. Joseph’s Assisted Living, 2299 Sterlington Road, Monroe, LA 71201, Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 900 Good Shepherd Lane, Monroe, LA 71201, or a church or charity of your choice. The family would like to thank the caring staff of Christus St. Joseph’s Home, Serenity Care Providers, and Elara Caring Hospice.

Following the graveside services, a celebration of Reneau’s life will be held at the McPhearson home on 900 Morgan St., Monroe, LA 71201.