Dennis Martin LaBorde

Dennis Martin LaBorde (1950-2023) Just before midnight on Thanksgiving, his favorite holiday, Dennis LaBorde passed away from injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident. As his cause of death at 73 years old suggests, Dennis lived life full throttle. He was an avid fisherman, motorcycle enthusiast and European adventurer. Dennis was born in New Orleans in 1950 to Pearlie Marie (St. Romain) Laborde and Purdie Martin Laborde. He was raised in Metairie in a home built by his father and spent his childhood summers in Marksville, LA, with his French-speaking grandparents. He graduated from Rummel High School before earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Orleans and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. Beginning in 1986, he practiced law at the firm Baldwin & Haspel (which later became Baldwin Haspel Burke & Mayer), where he was named partner in 1993 and retired in 2019. Dennis was also a proud entrepreneur who owned two Eagle Rider locations that rented Harley Davidson motorcycles in New Orleans and Atlanta; a gaming business; and several commercial real estate endeavors. Though he worked downtown in New Orleans for decades, Dennis spent the past 30 years living on the bayou in Barataria, where he loved waking up to the reflection of the water dancing on his ceiling. He was dedicated to the local community, adored his Barataria neighbors and found fishing on his boat in local waters a personal paradise. Dennis split time between his home on the bayou and his cabin in North Carolina, where he loved hosting friends and family. He’d ride motorcycles on world famous passages through the Smoky Mountains, plan tours to spectacular vistas and beautiful trails, take guests for rides in his ski boat on mountain lakes and gather everyone around bon fires at night. When Dennis was not in Barataria or the Smoky Mountains, he could be found in Europe with his beloved French friends. He rode motorcycles all over the European countryside and beyond—through France, Austria, Italy, Spain and Morocco. Dennis had a deep appreciation for French wine and the finest food in Europe, but what drew him overseas year after year was the friendship of his beloved fellow adventurers, a close group of French men and women who cherished his big, American laugh and knew him best as “Le Pirate.” Dennis was preceded in death by his parents as well as his brother Stacey, sisters Judy and Sharen and son Marty. He is survived by his dear friend and ex-wife Ann Woodward (m. 1969-2001); their three children, Yvette Hightower (Jared), Meg LaBorde Kuehn (Douglas) and Stacey Paul LaBorde (Robin); five grandchildren, Claire Hightower, Marty Hightower, Dougie Kuehn, Collin “Disco” Kuehn and Anderson LaBorde; his baby sister, Andrea Turner (Cary); his best friend and little brother, Kirk Laborde (Mary); as well as many nieces, nephews, friends and other beloved relatives. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a Memorial Service on Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 11:00 AM at L.A. Muhleisen & Son Funeral Home, 2607 Williams Blvd, Kenner, LA 70062. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization Dennis passionately supported.

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Dennis Martin LaBorde

May 1, 1950 - November 23, 2023