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Bill LeBlanc is a Baton Rouge original in the truest sense of the word. Born and raised within a six-mile circle of the city, Bill has spent his entire life rooted here, from growing up in the Inniswold subdivision near Bluebonnet and Gail Drive to building a life, family, and faith community that stretches across decades.

Ruth, his wife and partner since 1974 (married in 1976), moved to Baton Rouge in 1973 after moving from Tennessee—and together they’ve made this city home.

Bill and Ruth’s story began at a folk dance workshop in Pensacola in 1974, sort of.

Bill was there with the dance group; Ruth was in Pensacola for something else. She went with a friend to the folk dancing event, but she didn’t meet Bill then. When Ruth returned to Baton Rouge, she sought out the local folk dance group (Bill had been part of it for years), taught by Vonnie Brown (yes, Coach Dale’s wife), and that’s where they met. That shared love of movement, music, and community turned into a lifelong partnership that continues to shape their days.

Their household is lively and full. Ruth’s brother, Paul Black, lives with them, while their daughter Betsy makes her home in Lebanon, Missouri, and their son Daniel lives in Los Angeles. Daniel’s cats, Sienna and Olive, currently reside with Bill and Ruth—adding a bit of feline flair to daily life.

Bill brings a deep well of experience from a life of service. He is retired from OXY Chem (formerly Vulcan Chemicals), where he worked as an Equipment/Control Technician on 12-hour shifts. He also retired after years of service as a volunteer firefighter, first responder, and rescue diver with the Saint George Volunteer Fire Department. Ruth is a retired physical therapist. Together they enjoy the well-earned rhythms of retirement—Bill spending time on his computer, doing yard work, and still folk dancing, while Ruth enjoys traveling, reading, and genealogy.

Faith has been an evolving journey for both of them. Bill was raised Roman Catholic, attending St. George when Siegen Lane was still gravel, and later Christ the King/Catholic Student Center as an LSU freshman in 1968—where he and three other students drove to an international conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Ruth describes herself as a “recovering Presbyterian,” though she was confirmed in her mother’s Episcopal church in 1964. Their paths eventually led them to St. Margaret’s, where Bill has been a member for 31 years and Ruth for an impressive 35.

What brought them to St. Margaret’s is a story Bill tells with honesty and gratitude. Ruth and the children first found the church during a time when Bill had stepped away from church altogether. Bill joined them three weeks sober—and knew immediately he was home. That sense of authenticity still defines St. Margaret’s for him today. As Bill likes to say, echoing words often heard in recovery meetings, at St. Margaret’s, “We don’t just talk the talk—we walk the walk.”

Bill and Ruth are living examples of that spirit: grounded, genuine, and deeply woven into the life of the parish. Take a moment to get to know Bill—whether you meet him through conversation, service, or maybe even a bit of folk dance, chances are, you’ll feel that same sense of welcome that made him know he was home all those years ago.