Luke Ragas

PORT BARRE- A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Luke Robert Ragas on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Port Barre. Fr. James Brady will celebrate the Mass. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the Sibille Funeral Home in Port Barre; the Rosary will be recited by Deacon Dwayne Joubert at 2:00 p.m. Rite of Committal will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery.

Luke Robert Ragas, 23, of Henderson, LA passed away as a result of a motorcycle accident on June 2, 2023. Luke was born July 28, 1999 to Harry and Stacy in Gonzales, LA. He was named after his late grandfather Robert, who he has been reunited with in heaven. Luke became a brother just over a year later to his sister Hannah. They were like having twins; double the fun, double the trouble, thick has thieves and gave their parents a run for their money.  

When he was only 3 years old he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and encephalitis. Doctors weren’t sure he would ever fully recover, but he proved them wrong and within a couple months he was back to his normal kid life.  His parents returned to the bayous of Port Barre, LA when Luke was 4. That’s when we knew he was born to live on the bayou. He loved catching frogs, fishing, and hunting anything that breathed. He started school at Port Barre Elementary in 2004 fully fueled with coffee milk or hot chocolate that his Maw would fix him and Hannah every morning while they waited for the bus. He loved sports as a young kid and played baseball and football. He had some amazing coaches and made lifelong friends at an early age. God then gifted him with a little brother, Isaac. He did what any good big brother would do, pulling Isaac behind a four-wheeler on a sheet of plywood and duct taping him to trees. 

His kind heart touched every single person he came across since he was a little boy. He couldn’t tell a lie and always felt immediate guilt when he did something wrong. His nanny taught him how to smuggle candy into the movies when he was 10 years old and he couldn’t wait to get to confession the next morning. He attended Port Barre High school and continued his love for football as a Red Devil for 4 years. He found a family of friends there. His love for frogging, hunting, and fishing had only multiplied by then. If he wasn’t playing football, he was in the bayou or in the woods. 

Luke was born with hereditary pancreatitis and became extremely sick in his senior year of high school. Within a year and a half he was hospitalized 22 times. In that time he met the love of his life Hailey, born on the bayous of Henderson. Her family owned a seafood market and were avid fishermen, crawfishermen, and hunters so he knew right away she had to be sent to him straight from God. They took a short break when his parents took him to MN where he underwent a TPIAT surgery. They spent months there recovering. The day after a 11.5 hour surgery he walked down the halls of the hospital with tubes coming out all ends of his body and told his doctors “I’m getting the hell out of here.” 

The outpouring support and prayers from his family, friends, community and even strangers was nothing short of amazing. He was a walking miracle and never let his second chance on life go to waste. He worked odd jobs while going to college building fences, picking up scrap metal (his favorite) and doing body work at J&K Customs. He finished his degree at SLCC and graduated with an Associate Degree in Industrial Technology. He went on to work for Baker Hughes as a technician working on drilling tools. 

His love for Hailey had only strengthened and he just knew he was destined to marry her. They were wed on April 22, 2023 in Cecilia. They had the most beautiful wedding surrounded by the people they loved most. They went to Tennessee on their honeymoon and spent an entire week going on adventures and being in love.  Even though his life was cut short, anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him was absolutely blessed. He was a son, grandson, godchild, nephew, brother, husband, and the best friend anyway could ask for.

He is survived by his wife Hailey Hayes Ragas, parents Harry and Stacy Ragas, sister Hannah, brother Isaac, grandparents Kenneth and Helen Ragas and Gerald and Dianna Bourque, in-laws, Jeremy and Cynthia Hayes; brother-in-law, Dustin Hayes, godchildren Rowan and Lelia, as well as a host of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

In Loving Memory of Luke, the family request that you consider a donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest Region ( located within Children's in Minneapolis, MN).

Words of Comfort for the family may be expressed at www.sibillefuneralhomes.com. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Sibille Funeral Home of Port Barre.