Paul C. Ferrant
Fought the good fight. Finished the race. Kept the faith. The phrases describe Rev. Paul Ferrant. He first loved God. Then, he loved family and friends because of his love for God.
An end of life celebration for Paul will be held at Warren Meadows Funeral Home in Many on Thursday, February 23, 2023. Visitation at 9:00 AM. Services at 10:00 AM. Graveside services will immediately follow at Chapel on the Lake Cemetery.
Paul was born on a south Louisiana farm on September 7, 1921, in Ponchatoula. For two years he had in Ball, Louisiana with his daughter and son-in-law and passed away there on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at the age of 101 years old.
When he grew up Paul daily tended cows and crops before riding the bus to school. He sold small turtles for spending money. He later earned money tending crops and plowing. He traded a heifer for his first vehicle when he was sixteen years old.
Paul served in the Army Air Corp from 1942 until 1945. He served as a turret gunner on an A-20 Havoc and was stationed in England and France. He was injured by enemy shrapnel and received the Purple Heart.
Paul moved from seeing “bombs bursting in air” to seeing Joy Daniel, the love of his life. He and Joy married in Ponchatoula on June 9, 1946. God transferred his job duties from tending crops to tending people. Paul was saved and surrendered to preach during a revival in Springfield, Louisiana in 1948. His friend Perry Sanders preached while God spoke.
Paul attended Louisiana College and pastored churches in South Louisiana and in Avoyelles Parish. In 1959 God moved Paul and his family to Sabine Parish to pastor the River Missions churches of Blue Lake, Shady Grove, and Forestview. Paul preached three sermons each Sunday and led three devotional times at the churches during the weekly prayer service. Paul thought he would move back south but God put a love of the north Louisiana land and people in his heart.
The last two years of his life Paul usually prayed the breakfast blessing offering gratitude for five items before thanking God for the provision of food for the day. He was a continuously thankful person.
He prayed for God to let him see spiritual awakening. One of his last prayers was thanking God for the spiritual awakenings that are happening on the college campuses. His family prayed for 100,000 new converts to Christianity through these awakenings. God took him home after Paul saw this spiritual awakening begin.
Joy Ferrant, his wife of seventy-four years, preceded him in death. Others preceding him were his parents, Francis and Elsie, seven siblings, and daughter-in-law, Ann Ferrant.
He leaves behind two sons, Paul Wayne Ferrant (Merle), Dale Ferrant, and one daughter, Verena Harp (Jack). He also leaves behind six grandchildren: Mark Ferrant, Angela Nettles (Barry), Wesley Harp (April), Bradley Harp (Samantha), Susan Gros (Murray), and Stephanie Ferrant. He leaves five great grandchildren: Paige Ferrant (Mario), Connor Harp, Owen Harp, Lucas Gros, and Maggie Harp.
We can’t say specifically what Paul is actually doing now. But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 But God has planned a fabulous eternity for him. And we do know Paul is glorifying God just as God planned.
