Whether he was giving out gifts during the holidays, cheering on his children at sporting events or even helping protect a president, John Badeaux’s life was dedicated to serving others.
Badeaux, who spent nearly 45 years in local law enforcement and helped raise seven children, died Thursday after a battle with coronavirus. He was 68.
“Anyone who met my dad would know that he’s a giver,” Badeaux’s daughter Kamie Daffue said. “His time, his resources, or his encouragement. He just gave everything he had to his community, his church and his family.”
Badeaux’s career in law enforcement was a story of perseverance. He grew up in Vinton, Louisiana and was forced to quit school in eighth grade to help take care of his mother when his father died.
Years later as an adult, Badeaux went back to school and earned a degree from Lamar Institute of Technology, even taking a few classes alongside his son, John Badeaux Jr.
Badeaux Sr. went on to work at multiple local law enforcement agencies. He spent two years with the Pinehurst Police Department before joining the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. After more two decades there, he served the last 18 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
“I could sit here all day and tell all the good things about John,” Orange County Constable Matt Ortega said. “You truly can’t replace guys like him him. It would take 100 people to do it.”
Badeaux was a sniper with both sheriff offices and often got calls with SWAT teams at a moments notice. Before leaving for any assignment, Badeaux would gather his family in the living room and pray for the SWAT team’s safety.
Badeaux’s biggest such assignment might have been helping protect President Jimmy Carter during a visit to Beaumont, but not all parts of the job were so stressful. His daughter, Tricia, remembers her father visiting her sixth grade class or occasionally picking her up from school in the squad car.
“All my classmates were enamored with him and asking him all sorts of questions,” she said.
Badeaux tended to have that type of impact on children. He worked with multiple youth programs, including Orange County’s Cops and Kids initiative and the Blue Santa program that help give gifts to underprivileged children during the holidays. His daughter Theresa often helped with those programs.
“The light in his eyes when he looked at those kids,” she recalled. “To see them smile meant everything to him.”
Badeaux’s own children got to see that love first-hand, too. He had plenty of hobbies that included hunting, painting and woodworking, but he always seems to take on whatever activities his kids enjoyed most.
When they played baseball and softball, Badeaux built a diamond in the backyard. When they played basketball, he got certified to become and referee and a coach. When they did karate, he turned the garage into a dojo fit for a professional.
At Nederland sporting events, Badeaux could often be heard from the stands cheering on his children — and giving the officials a few jabs here and there.
“Not only was he dedicated to what he did, he was willing to learn new traits to really fit the stage that we were in at the time,” Kamie said. “I think that says a lot about his love.”
A visitation will be held for Badeaux on Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Claybar Funeral Home in Orange. A Sunday Mass will take place at St. Mary’s Church in Orange at 10 a.m., followed by a funeral service at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
mfaye@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/mattGfaye
Jorge Ramos contributed to this report.
