John Betar

New Iberia—A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church with Fr. Mark Derise as celebrant. Burial to follow at Holy Family Mausoleum.

Family requests visitation to begin on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at 5 p.m. until closing at 8 p.m. at David Funeral Home of New Iberia with a recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7:00 p.m.

A native of New Iberia, John Betar was born on October 7, 1936, to George A. and Edna Jones Betar.

John “Johnny” F. Betar, 84, of New Iberia, LA, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at 10:04 a.m. with his niece by his side.

He was born and raised in New Iberia, a place he dearly loved.  Johnny was an attorney and, from 1962 to 1964, served with the rank of captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, Department of the Army, at the Pentagon.  During this time, Johnny served as a White House military social aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.  He remained a close friend of both the Kennedy and Johnson families.  After his service in the JAG Corps, Johnny held various positions for the federal government and on Capitol Hill, such as serving as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division and legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Edwin Willis of Louisiana.  From 1969 - 1985, Johnny served in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Legal Division, holding several positions including administrative counsel, assistant general counsel, legislative counsel, and liaison officer in the Office of Congressional Relations.  After his tenure at the FDIC, Johnny joined the Bankers Roundtable (formerly, the Association of Bank Holding Companies) as legislative counsel until his retirement in 1994 when he moved back to New Iberia, where he resided until his passing.  He was a kind, loving person who was immensely proud of his family, his Catholic faith, and his service to his country.  Johnny was also a generous philanthropist throughout his lifetime, establishing the George and Edna Jones Betar Memorial Scholarship at New Iberia Senior High School and donating to other organizations such as various Catholic Churches, the Louisiana Bar Foundation, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

He is survived by his brother-in-law, Wilbur Miles of New Iberia; his nieces, Renee Miles Indest and her husband Robert Joseph “Joey” of Baton Rouge and Jaynellen Miles Tannery of Frisco, Texas; his great-nieces, Elizabeth Indest (fiancé Taylor Canchola) and Rebecca Indest (fiancé Juan Moreno), all of Baton Rouge, Claire Tannery of Frisco, Texas, Corine Miles of Opelousas, and Krista R. Fournerat and her husband Lane of Lafayette; his great-nephew, Travis Tannery of Frisco, Texas; his great-great nephews, Brendon English of Oklahoma and Jacques and Beckett Fournerat of Lafayette and his great-great nieces, Amelia Fournerat of Lafayette and Callie Artigue of Opelousas.

Pallbearers will be Robert Joseph “Joey” Indest, Travis Tannery, Juan Moreno, Taylor Canchola, and Mark Verret.

Honorary pallbearers will be Wilbur Miles, Billy Gesser, Raymond Elias, Anthony Ackal, Alfred Ackal, Hoyle Robinson, and Richard Whiting.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George A. Betar, Sr. and Edna Jones Betar, his brother George A. Betar, Jr., his sister, Marie Adele Betar Miles, and his nephew, Jude Thaddeus Miles. The family would like to extend a special thank you to all of Johnny’s friends and family who provided support and prayers during his illness and for longtime Washington D.C. friends Hoyle Robinson, Richard Whiting, Kathy Haygood, and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb who were very special to him and very helpful to his family.  Additionally, the family would also like to extend a special thank you for the excellent care provided by his many caregivers over the past 5 years, especially Shirley Butler, Latanuia Theodile, Dolly Theodile, Becky Etienne, Jackie Theriot, and Melissa Olivier.

In-lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Johnny’s name to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, New Iberia, LA, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, New Iberia, LA, or John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (202) 416-8041.

To help keep the community safe we will honor the July 13, 2020, Louisiana Mandates. All families and their guests are required to wear a face-covering while at the funeral home. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.

Family and friends may sign the guest register book and/or send condolences at www.davidfuneralhome.org

David Funeral Home of New Iberia, 1101 Trotter St. 337-369-6336 is in charge of arrangements.