Deacon Maurice Serice, a native of Sulphur, LA, passed away on August 2, 2024, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas at the age of 87. He was born October 16, 1936, to George and Lena DiGiglia Serice.
Visitation at South Park Funeral Home in Pearland will be from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 11, with a recitation of the rosary at 5:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, August 12, 2024, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 3617 Milam Street, in Houston. Father Juan Torres will serve as celebrant. A reception will be held in the church hall following the Mass. The Rite of Committal will follow at 2:00 p.m. at South Park Cemetery in Pearland.
Deacon Serice was a graduate of Sulphur High School (1955) and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) in 1959. While at SLI he was elected student body treasurer and was active in the music department. After graduation he returned to Sulphur to co-manage the family business with his brother, S.J. Serice. His parents had founded Serice’s Clothing and Shoe Store in 1924.
In 1960 his business career was interrupted when he was called to active duty in the United States Army due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was discharged in 1962 and resumed his business activity.
Maurice and his wife, Patricia, met in college and married after both had graduated. She worked alongside him in the family business.
As a teenager he was active in the choir at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur. In later years his musical talent led to leading roles in several productions in Lake Charles, LA, namely McNeese State University spring musicals, Lake Charles Little Theater, and Artists Civic Theater and Studio (ACTS). Some of his favorite musicals in which he played the leading role were The Music Man, Oklahoma!, The Fantasticks, and Man of La Mancha, the latter for which he won the ACTS Best Actor of the Year award. He also performed in summer stock at the Houston Music Theatre in 1969.
While managing the family business and acting in community theater Maurice also served the Catholic Church as a choir director, CCD teacher, and Eucharistic Minister. He made the Cursillo in 1976. In 1992 he and his brother closed the business and retired to pursue separate interests.
In 1996, after several years of study, Maurice was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Lake Charles. He was assigned to Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in Sulphur where he ministered for sixteen years. In the days prior to his passing, he reminisced about the many people he was blessed to minister to at baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Many were former customers and their families that he had come to know so well during his many years in business. He valued the support of the clergy and parishioners of Our Lady of LaSalette Church.
In 2012, he and his wife moved to Pearland to be near their five children, all of whom had settled in the Houston area. Maurice served as a Sunday lector at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Houston.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Patricia Lormand Serice; two sons, George (Lisa) Serice, The Woodlands; Mark (Erin) Serice, Sugar Land; three daughters, Pauline Serice, and Valerie Serice, both of Houston, and Janet Serice, Pearland. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Maurice was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn (Tony) Quattrone, and niece, Jamie Quattrone. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at MD Anderson for their care and support.
In 1960 his business career was interrupted when he was called to active duty in the United States Army due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was discharged in 1962 and resumed his business activity.
Maurice and his wife, Patricia, met in college and married after both had graduated. She worked alongside him in the family business.
As a teenager he was active in the choir at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur. In later years his musical talent led to leading roles in several productions in Lake Charles, LA, namely McNeese State University spring musicals, Lake Charles Little Theater, and Artists Civic Theater and Studio (ACTS). Some of his favorite musicals in which he played the leading role were The Music Man, Oklahoma!, The Fantasticks, and Man of La Mancha, the latter for which he won the ACTS Best Actor of the Year award. He also performed in summer stock at the Houston Music Theatre in 1969.
While managing the family business and acting in community theater Maurice also served the Catholic Church as a choir director, CCD teacher, and Eucharistic Minister. He made the Cursillo in 1976. In 1992 he and his brother closed the business and retired to pursue separate interests.
In 1996, after several years of study, Maurice was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Lake Charles. He was assigned to Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in Sulphur where he ministered for sixteen years. In the days prior to his passing, he reminisced about the many people he was blessed to minister to at baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Many were former customers and their families that he had come to know so well during his many years in business. He valued the support of the clergy and parishioners of Our Lady of LaSalette Church.
In 2012, he and his wife moved to Pearland to be near their five children, all of whom had settled in the Houston area. Maurice served as a Sunday lector at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Houston.
Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Patricia Lormand Serice; two sons, George (Lisa) Serice, The Woodlands; Mark (Erin) Serice, Sugar Land; three daughters, Pauline Serice, and Valerie Serice, both of Houston, and Janet Serice, Pearland. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Maurice was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn (Tony) Quattrone, and niece, Jamie Quattrone. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at MD Anderson for their care and support.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. ~Amen~
