Chip Rachal

Funeral services for Chip Rachal will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, 2019, at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until the service begins. Chip was a 1998 graduate of Lakeview High School and received a degree from Northwestern State University a few years later.  In his youth, he played for Dixie Youth Baseball and was an extraordinary first baseman. He played football, baseball and threw the javelin for Lakeview High School and made second-team all-state center his senior year. He was voted most humorous by his classmates and belonged to the physics club. He graduated with honors. He later married his high school sweetheart and they had a son, Dennis Rachal III in 2005. Although the marriage did not last; Chip became his son’s primary guardian and raised him with the help of his mother and sisters. Chip Worked several years in Knoxville, Tennessee and Natchitoches, Louisiana until he became too sick to continue. Despite being disabled, he continued to enjoy fishing, cooking and watching sports. His son was his pride and joy and he participated in every family activity that he could. His diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2017 came as a shock; he already suffered from a rare kidney/brain disease and had survived 20 surgeries. After the shock wore off, he fought to win with chemotherapy. His body finally gave out he went to sleep and did not wake up despite efforts to revive him. His loss is great, but his suffering is over. His sense of humor, his love of sports and music will live on in each of us and in his son. Chip is survived by Denis Rachal III, his 13 year old son, his mother and second father Cindy and Rodney Broadway of Doyline, sisters Crystal Berry of Monroe, Kelly Parks and husband Jake of Natchitoches, Courtney Rachal and friend Jon Rusch of Shreveport, Jennifer Broadway of Hagewood, Vanessa Raphiel and husband John of Haughton, Amy Nectoux and husband Jason of Doyline; grandparents Huey and Lucie Rachal of Baton Rouge, Carolyn Broadway of Provencal, brother-in-law Jeremy Britnell of Shreveport, numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and a host of friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Dennis Rachal; grandparents Shirley Landrum, Jackie Roberts-Rachal, Travis Landrum, Eulas Broadway; Aunts Connie Rachal, Tammy Post-Youngblood, Annette Rachal; cousins Randy Kerry, Kaitlyn Rachal; brothers-in-law Billy Berry and Jason Viola. Serving as pallbearers are Jeff Rachal, Justin Rachal, Dru Jenkins, Jonathan Bennett, Kevin Landrum, and Kris Landrum.