Death of American top executive who helped run the massive McDermott oil-yard near Inverness during the North Sea oil construction boom
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An American senior executive who for more than 15 years helped run the former McDermott offshore oil construction yard at Ardersier has died aged 84 back home in Pierre Part, Louisiana.
Theogene Joseph "TJ" Blanchard will be remembered by many of the thousands who worked at Ardersier during his 15-year stint there as a man who grew to love the Highlands after bringing over his young family when he took up the post there in January 1973.
TJ was a McDermott man through and through, having worked for the engineering giant for more than 35 years after starting with them at their Morgan City, Louisiana shipyard.
TJ’s career allowed him to travel to places such as London, Paris, Germany, Spain, Norway, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sakhalin, Azerbaijan, Tokyo and China.
Eventually he moved back to the USA to McDermott’s New Orleans office from where he retired. He then launched his own company, Blanchard and Associates International Inc., serving companies such as Performance Contractors and Dynamic Industries before he retired again in 2020.
He leaves behind his wife of 33 years, Liane, six children (Dana, André, Lisa, Leslie, Lindsey, and Landry) 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
For his funeral TJ requested that in lieu of flowers a donation be made in his honour to the Pierre Part Belle River Museum, P.O. Box 525, Pierre Part, LA 70339, USA.
During a loving eulogy on behalf of the family, son André said the move to the Highlands changed the course of their lives forever.
He added: “I wouldn’t be who I am or be what I am in life without that life-altering, pivotal and significant decision he made back then. Scotland had a special place in his heart. He lived there for 15-16 years. It was his home.”
Being a country boy by birth with a love of hunting and fishing in the great outdoors, TJ really took to the Highlands.
“Over the years there he made many friends and had countless experiences. He often drew parallels between Scottish culture and values with those of his Cajun roots. He embraced his Scottish experience with the typical aplomb he had for anything he had an interest in and affection for.
“He wore his kilt proudly there on many occasions, including many Burns Nights, and even sported it here a few times. Apart from that he loved to fish, particularly for salmon and we often went fly fishing for trout on a local loch near the house.”
TJ was very active in his local Pierre Part community. He was founder of the Pierre Part Belle River Genealogical Society and the Pierre Part Belle River Museum. He represented Pierre Part as Board member of the local Parish Library Board. He was genealogist and member of the Sons of the American Revolution, Atchafalaya Chapter. He lived his faith as an active parishioner in his local church as lector, member of the choir, the King's Men, and a Come Lord Jesus Group. He was also a 4th degree Knights of Columbus, an organization to which he dedicated much of his adult life.
TJ had an expansive genealogy library and was very proud of his Acadian heritage and would speak French whenever he had the opportunity. He was an avid collector of antique curios, including vintage gasoline single-piston engines which he loved to restore and exhibit, as well as his little-known stamp, coin, and paper clip collections.
For TJ’s tribute delivered in the USA visit here.
McDermott announced the closure of Ardersier Fabrication yard in 2002, following almost 30 years of activity at the site. At its peak, there were more than 4,500 staff employed at Ardersier constructing offshore platforms for the oil industry.
This was during the Highland heyday of offshore oil construction, and for a time the Ardersier yard was in operation at the same time as similar yards at Nigg in Easter Ross and Kishorn in Wester Ross.
There are now plans for the former Ardersier yard to be given an exciting new life as Ardersier Port.
