Funeral services for Louise Gray Altick will be at 2:00p.m. Saturday, January 26, 2013, at Grace Episcopal Church with The Very Rev'd T. Whitfield Stodghill, III, The Rev'd William R. Bryant, and Archdeacon Bette J. Kauffman, Ph.D., officiating. Interment will follow at Mulhearn Memorial Park under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of Monroe. Louise Gray Altick, age 72, passed away peacefully at home in Monroe on January 23, 2013 after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. She was born in Monroe, Louisiana, in December 1940. She attended Georgia Tucker Grammar School and Neville High School where she first met James Arthur Altick, the man who would become her best friend and husband of 50 years. She attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, graduating with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. She and her beloved Jim moved back to Monroe in June of 1964 where they spent the rest of their lives together until his death in 2012. Accomplished professional, unwavering advocate for causes she held dear, tireless community volunteer, faithful friend, devoted wife and mother — Louise Altick succeeded in many things in her lifetime. When asked recently to reflect on those accomplishments, she quickly answered that watching three children and nine grandchildren grow into caring, admirable people had been the most rewarding experience for her. She believed that a strong family with loving Christian values at its center is the key to a thriving and successful community. Louise genuinely loved her community, and her actions reflected that. Among the many areas in which she volunteered and in many instances held leadership positions were the Monroe Symphony League vice president; Junior League of Monroe president, treasurer, original Cotton Country Collection cookbook committee, sustainer; National Junior League Area 5 Council Member; Youth House of Ouachita co-founder, secretary, treasurer, nutrition consultant; United Way board member, cabinet member, campaign chairman, and co-founder of the Steamboat Club; Monroe Symphony Orchestra board member; Mayor's Commission on the Needs of Women president; River Oaks School Board secretary and Tennis Team coordinator; St. Albans Episcopal Church Flower Guild, lay reader; Grace Episcopal Church vestry member, secretary, lay reader; Monroe Garden Study League flower show co-chair; The Review Club; The Book Club; the Neville High School Family and Friends; the YWCA advisory board member; the Colonial Dames XVII Century; the Ft. Miro chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution 1st and 2nd vice regent; “The Bridge Club” and Pi Beta Phi alumnae. Recognition of her service came through a variety of honors and awards. Among those were the Junior League of Monroe's coveted Louise Seymour Award for outstanding service; Member Emeritus status conferred by the Monroe Symphony League one of only three individuals so honored thus far; listings in Outstanding Young Woman of Ouachita Parish and Outstanding Young Woman of Louisiana; and the Distinguished Service Award by the Youth House of Ouachita, Inc. given in appreciation for her more than 20 years of continuous service to that home for girls. Most recently she was named one of the “Sweet Sixteen Most Influential Women of the Delta” by Delta Style magazine. Louise put her LSU degree into formal practice by working with the Delta-Ouachita Vo-Tech and Bastrop Vo-Tech institutions as an instructor in nutrition and diet therapy for their LPN programs. When her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease PD fourteen years ago, she and Jim established the Northeast Louisiana PD Support Group, a group meeting monthly to provide informational and emotional support to those facing the challenges of living with Parkinson's. Following her husband's death last year, this group was renamed in recognition of their work in this field. She also served as representative of the northern part of Louisiana for the Parkinson Action Network and was a board member of the Parkinson Association of Louisiana. Louise Altick is preceded in death by James Arthur Altick, her husband of 50 years; Courtland Prentice Gray, Jr., her father; and James Arthur “Trey” Altick, III, her grandson. She is survived by her mother, Betty Ormond Gray of Monroe; daughter Ormond Altick Guenard and her husband Jay of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; son James Arthur Altick, Jr., and his wife Helena of Monroe; daughter Connie Altick Banovac and her husband Filip of Alexandria, Virginia; brother Courtland Prentice Gray, III, and his wife Pat of Plano, Texas; brother Woods Eastland Gray and his wife Mary of Fayetteville, North Carolina; and brother-in-law Daniel Anthony Altick, Jr. and his wife Connie Sue of Monroe. Also honoring her memory are eight granddaughters: Courtney and Sarah Anne Guenard; Frances, Hannah and Abi Altick; Anna, Lauren and Lia Banovac; and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: – St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 2816 Deborah Drive, Monroe, LA 71201 – Foodbank of Northeast Louisiana, The BackPack for Kids Program, P.O. Box 5048, Monroe, LA 71211 – United Way of Northeast LA, 1201 Hudson Lane, Monroe, LA 71201 or a charity of your choice. Pallbearers will be Keats Everett, Leonard Garlington, Carrick Inabnett, Lestar Martin, Hugh McDonald, and Larry Winter. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 25, 2013 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, 1200 Lamy Lane, Monroe, LA.