Fadua Roedan LeBlanc

Fadua Roedan LeBlanc

June 25, 1947 – June 20, 2021

Fadua Altagracia Roedan LeBlanc passed away peacefully in her sleep last Sunday, June 20, 2021, at the age of 73.  After a long battle with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, she is now in heaven with her husband, parents, several family members, and dear friends.

Fadua was born in the Dominican Republic and her parents were Manuel Roedan “Papa Manuel” and Elena Hernandez Roedan “Mama Coco”.  She was the youngest of 9 children: Milagros, Gabriel, Rafael, Miguel, Guillermo, Elenita, Gisella, and Tamara.  After completing high school, she moved to New York City to learn English and worked as a secretary for a shipping company.  She grew up with a strong Catholic faith and would go on to bring many people to know Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the Holy Spirit.

Fadua met her husband, Steven Jude LeBlanc, on a blind date that was arranged by Enrique and Ana Alsace.  They were married on January 17, 1970.  They had 2 children, Michael and Cher, and were married for 42 years, when Steve passed away.  Fadua is survived by her daughter, Cher DeLourdes LeBlanc, her son, Michael John LeBlanc; her daughter in law, Michelle Smith LeBlanc; and her two grandchildren, Brett LeBlanc, and Sean LeBlanc.  In 1972, she moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where the LeBlanc family resided.

Even though Fadua was born the youngest “princess” of nine children in the Roedan family; a family of earned honor, Christianity, respect, and prestige; Fadua was brought up and taught to be very humble and hard working.  She consistently put others before herself and was someone who anyone could always turn to for prayers, uplift, help and warmth.

Fadua was definitely “the woman behind the man” as her husband Steve and countless others banded together to build up a company called Caleb Brett.  Fadua was a prayer warrior and her prayers surely helped attract and bring together so many stewards of good will, hard-working, honorable, grateful, humble, and “family like” individuals to this company.

Fadua and her family moved to Philadelphia in 1975, where she was often alone with her children because Steve travelled so much for work.  It was there that some women from the neighborhood, who would immediately become “family”, helped her understand how to put your kids in school, how to raise a family in a city, they even taught her how to drive a car.  These incredible, loving, faith based, unselfish women, together with Fadua, eventually were named “The Lamb Road Looneys”, a term of endearment and affection, known forever by all their children and many others.

In 1977, Fadua’s daughter, Cher, had her first of 11 brain surgeries at the age of 4 at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.  Fadua’s faith stayed strong and countless friends and family, some travelling mighty long distances, prayed with her, cooked meals, helped take care of her family, and so much more.  In 1989, at the hands of God and Dr. Bruce, Cher survived the 17-hour surgery performed in Dallas, and eventually was discharged after 6 months.  There were so many prayers said and many long days and nights in Dallas, Texas, where Gisella, Ramonita, Janice, Linda, Beverly, Bobby and so many precious others drove and flew in to help Fadua and Cher, at all hours, 24/7.  Fadua became the primary caregiver to Cher in 1989, as years of rehabilitation, therapy and surgeries lay ahead.

Even though it could be said that Fadua “had some tough times”, her faith never wavered, and she continuously thanked God for all her blessings.  Her husband, Steve, would buy her nice and fancy gifts because he would always say “my bubba deserves it”, but she would always say, “Take it back!  All I want is Health, Peace and Happiness!”… a saying that became a creed, a way of life, for many of those who knew her… “ HPH! ”.  Fadua was never a fan of the “pop in” as the house had to be spotless (even though it always was) and each time Steve wanted to throw her a party, or surprise her by flying in a loved one, she always called unexpected events like that a “Hullabaloo”. Many friends became family and Fadua’s children gained many new aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She telephoned her mother, Mama Coco, every day - every single day.  Fadua has a great niece named Fadua, a Lebanese name, that means heroism and self-sacrifice, as her father was from Lebanon.

Fadua always kept an alter with ceramic statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and many saints along with a candle that always had to be burning.  She made sure each member of her family got down on their knees each night and prayed together and when she and Steve tucked their kids into bed, they would always say “dream about good things”.

Fadua’s only son married Michelle Smith in 1994 and in 1998, she became a grandmother.  Fadua loved her new daughter and her 2 grandchildren, Brett and Sean, very much and only spoke to the boys in Spanish.  Fadua would always take them to go see “los patos” and give them more candy than they needed.  Fadua celebrated Christmas, but on every Wise Men’s Day, January 6 ^th , in the middle of the night, she would lay out one meaningful gift at the foot of everyone’s bed, as they did not celebrate Christmas in the Dominican Republic when she was a child, only “Dia de los Reyes Magos”.  Today, both of her grandsons are bi-lingual men of faith and took an active part in her caretaking as her illness worsened.

A side effect of Cher’s surgery caused her daughter to suffer from terrible night tremors and horrific, realistic dreams that made her scream (very loud) multiple times every single night.  Fadua would get up and out of bed to calm her daughter back to sleep every time.  As much as her family and friends would beg her to take a break from her caregiving role, she only accepted a forced vacation a couple times and Fadua only got a full night’s sleep less than 20 times in 25 years.  Then, in 2016, it was only due to her own illness that Fadua slept throughout the night without waking up.  She still thanked God every day for all her blessings.

As Fadua entered life’s final lap, she was cared for most wonderfully, as she deserved, by her daughter, Michelle, and by a precious caregiver named Wanda.  She was surrounded with love every day of her life.  She loved eating pizza, M&M Peanuts, and Andes Mints.  She loved listening to merengue music, Diana Ross, Elton John, Celine Dion, and a few other musicians.  She liked wearing the colors red and yellow.

You will not find her name on a building, but she enabled dozens to be built.  You will not see her name on a company letterhead, but she directly and indirectly founded quite a few, truth be told.

There was one thing that was promised to her and her sister, Gisella, who was a prayer warrior like her.  The promise is that a Prayer Fountain be built in a small town in the Dominican Republic outside a church in a park.  This “HPH Prayer Fountain” will be a place to: pray for a miracle, thank God for our blessings, comfort a worried heart, pray for a troubled soul, and show the Light to all.

The funeral, procession, and burial for Fadua will be held on July 24th in the Dominican Republic where she will be laid to rest next to her husband as they were both able to choose their final resting place.  Fadua gave so much more than she took from this world, and it is a certainty that she rests in peace and is now able to hear our prayers.

Funeral Home in Houston and International Preparation Documents: Name :           Compean Funeral Home Tel # :            1-713-924-6900 Website : http://www.compeanfuneralhomes.com/ Catholic Mass (Rite of Committal and Catholic Ceremony) on July 3, 2021 in Houston: Name :           Father Henry Walker of Immaculate Conception Tel # :            1-713-921-1261 Website : https://icchouston.church/ Catholic Masses Being Held in Fadua’s Name in her Church in Friendswood, Texas Name :           Father James Kuczynski of Mary Queen Catholic Church Tel # :            1-281-482-1391 Website :       https://maryqueencatholicchurch.org/ Masses being held in July Catholic Mass on July 24, 2021 in the Dominican Republic: Name :           Parroquia San Juan Bautista Tel # :            809-535-4001 Cemetery in the Dominican Republic : Name :          Puerta Del Cielo Tel # :            1-809-732-2852 Website : https://www.puertadelcielo.com.do/ Contact Michael LeBlanc for Details : Tel # :            1-713-870-2042 Email: mjleblanc@leblanc-resources.com