Garron Joseph Chaisson

Garron Joseph Chaisson, our loving and devoted father, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024, at the age of 86. The only child of Lionel Chaisson and Celeste Falgout Chaisson, he spent most of his formative years in New Orleans, Louisiana and Harahan, a suburb outside of New Orleans. He graduated from De La Salle, a private Catholic boy’s school in New Orleans. Garron became interested in music and learned to play the trumpet during his elementary school years and continued throughout high school and into his life as a young adult. He joined the Six Saints, a local band that would play jazz and popular hits of the time for parties and dances in the area. He played with the Six Saints until he transferred to Mississippi for work. 

Garron attended Tulane University for one year, majoring in engineering and played with the Tulane band. During his second semester, he realized he wasn’t enthusiastic about engineering, so he left Tulane behind to take advantage of a special program with the United States Army. He spent six months in the service, then joined the National Guard on weekends and two summer weeks for the next five and a half years. During his time in the service, he discovered an aptitude for electronics. After his initial six months in the service, Garron enrolled at Delgado Technical School in New Orleans graduating two years at the top of his class with an 98% average. He had very little trouble finding work after graduation and was highly sought after by many potential employers. After considering many offers, including a position at NASA, Garron ultimately decided on Shell Oil Company. Starting with a very attractive salary, he began in the Exploration Division as an assistant operator of the electronic equipment used in finding oil. 

Garron would marry Carolyn Beal Chaisson shortly after beginning his career. Over the next 33 years, they moved four times, had three children, and he moved up the ladder with Shell. 

During his tenure with the company, he oversaw ‘Shell America’, the best equipped exploratory petroleum offshore vessel in the world. While at the helm, he was awarded several patents and adulations. He worked though the change from explosive seismic exploration to air pressure seismic exploration controlled by computers. Shell America discovered most of the oil fields in production in the Gulf of Mexico to this date. In his last five years working at Shell, Garron was transferred to the Shell building in New Orleans to help coordinate the exploration vessels and, ultimately, the sad demise of Shell’s exploration division. In the process of restructuring the company and downsizing, exploration was put under contract and no longer done by Shell employees. Gary retired in 1994. 

Garron embraced retirement as a new and exciting adventure. He was “hands on” and a “do it himself” handyman, he stayed unbelievably busy working on his home and helping his children with various projects.

Garron was a wonderful, steady, dependable, smart, honest, home-loving, Christian family man who meant the world to his family. 

He is survived by his children, Jodi Miller and husband, Frank; Robin Chaisson Wilson and husband, Frank; and James ‘Chip’ Chaisson and wife, Becky; his grandchildren, Madison Leigh Wilson, Cody Garron Chaisson, Marc Etienne Caron, Kristen Cook, and husband, Jacob; his great-grandchildren, Carter and Hadley; and his beloved dog, Rusty.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his loving wife.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Service at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at Resthaven Funeral Home, 11817 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 1:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ or the Tunnels to Towers Foundation at https://t2t.org/ 

Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com