Nickie Gene Voinche Memorial Bridge: "An extraordinary but ordinary man"

On the morning of September 17th, 2011, Nickie Gene Voinche was on his way to work as a construction superintendent with Gilchrist Construction. He was heading to the bridge on Highway 190 in Livonia, Louisiana when he was tragically hit head-on by a vehicle in Morganza. Voinche passed away as a result of the incident.

Gilchrist Construction of Alexandria initiated a memorial in his honor, hoping to have the state bridge named after Voinche. Louisiana State Representative Johnson and Senator Ward co-authored a bill and presented it to the Louisiana Legislature. At a regular session in 2013, House Bill 419 named the bridge Nickie Gene Voinche Memorial Bridge.

Nickie Gene Voinche was born on September 23, 1954 in Marksville, Louisiana. He graduated from Marksville High School in 1972. In his young life, he once worked at the local church with his friends. When they finished with their work, the priest would let them take his car to town. However, he and his "pad-nas" would sometimes sneak out to town on their own. He also enjoyed going to the camp on weekends to hunt and fish. He earned himself the nickname “Hippie” amongst his family and friends and was known to never meet a stranger.

Voinche later married Julia Bordelon Voinche on June 30th, 1979. Together, they had three children, Chis, Celeste, and Samantha. At date of writing, he has four grandchildren. When his children were young, he worked for 4F Construction. He worked in heavy civil and road construction for all of his life, often working away from home. However, more than anything, he loved his family and always made time to spend with his loved ones. If he didn’t have to stay the night away at work in his camper, he would simply drive all the way back home to make sure his family got his time and love. There was nothing he was prouder of than his children and, later, his grandchildren, and he always made sure they knew it.

In his later life, he worked for Gilchrist Construction. He would still spend time with family and spend his Sundays cheering on the Saints. Saturday nights were often spent dining at his favorite restaurant, Outback. One of his favorite things to do was cut grass with his beloved tractor. He also loved to cook in his outdoor kitchen, smoking meat and barbequing. He made sure to visit his friends and family as often as he could, up until he passed away.

His daughter, Celeste Gauthier, speaks fondly of her father. "To know him," she said, "was to love him! My daddy was a simple man. He was funny, caring and kind, was NOT afraid to ask questions, enjoyed making others laugh...

"He would give his shirt off of his back to help anyone,and he truly did that! He NEVER met a stranger! It was like you were with a celebrity when you were with him because he knew everyone...I realized it when it was too late after his passing, I wanted to speak to others about him."

Beloved by friends, acquaintences, and family alike, Nickie Gene Voinche still lives on in the memory of all who knew him. The bridge on Highway 190 is just one small reminder of "extraordinary but ordinary" life that was cut too short.