Charles Edward Lavis passed away in the presence of his children on Sunday, August 2, 2026 at the age of 93. Charles was born in South Bend, Louisiana on January 11, 1933. He was a visual person who deeply appreciated the beauty of nature. As a child, he loved to camp in the woods with his friends. He even rode his bike 298 miles from South Bend Indiana to the Canadian border. He loved to take photographs with his professional camera and develop his own photographs. His favorite photography subjects were closeup shots of the faces of his children and grandchildren. At 12 years old, he entered a magazine drawing competition and won first place. He was an intelligent doctor and humble caretaker.

He graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Anatomy and Physiology in 1954. He received his Doctor of Medicine in only three years from Indiana University in 1957. He was a U.S. Army Medical Corp Captain in Korea from 1958-1959. He completed his residency in radiology at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. He fell in love with the weather and food of New Orleans and decided to stay. He was Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology in 1964. He practiced radiology at Ochsner Clinic, Touro Infirmary and Methodist Hospital. He met his wife and love of his life Gail at a Catholic Young Adult party at St. Louis Cathedral. This meeting began a 60 year romance. He and Gail had five children.

Standing 6 feet and five inches tall, Charles was usually the tallest person in the room. His wife Gail once said, “If you ever need to find Dad in a crowd, just look up!” Despite his large stature, Charles was humble of heart and a devoted servant to his family. After working 11 hours at the hospital each day, he was always happy to run to the store for milk, do a load of laundry, help with a school project, bathe a child, and wake up in the middle of the night to feed a newborn baby. Love was who Charles was.

Charles had an easy-going personality. Even when Charles became blind in his eighties and wheelchair bound in his nineties, he never complained. He was always so joyful and positive and never lost his ability to laugh at himself. Charles was a devoted Catholic and parishioner of St Francis of Assisi Church and then St Catherine of Sienna Church. He saw God in the ordinary and extraordinary. When one of his children asked him if he had ever seen a miracle he immediately answered, “Yes, the first miracle I saw was in medical school when I saw a baby being born.”

He was predeceased by his father, Edward Fisk Lavis, his mother, Martha Margaret Schiller, his wife, Gail DeJean Lavis, and his sister, Patricia Lavis Taylor. He is survived by his sister, Rosemary Lavis Powers and his five children: Suzy Lavis Hufft (Parick); Charles Edward Lavis, Jr.; John Lawrence McKeever Lavis (Yvonne); William Clay Lavis; and Sarah Lavis Carrington, (David). He is also survived by his grandchildren; Parker, Sarah and Abby Hufft; Charlie and Rachel Lavis; Evangeline and Clay Lavis; and Caroline and Lauren Carrington. Charles was lucky enough to meet and love his great grandchild, Rivers Hufft.

“Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of the Lord” Matthew 25:23

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, LA at 1:30 pm. Burial will follow at Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery in Opelousas, Louisiana.