Daniel Victor Cazenave was born on May 1, 1914, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Julian Leon Cazenave and Gertrude Josephine Ceiutat. He grew up in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans and attended St. Stanislaus School for Boys in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. His father died when he was 11 and his mother remarried Frank Hopper. Daniel played outfield for the minor league New Orleans Pelicans and was even called up to the majors by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his baseball career was cut short by his service to the United States military. On December 8, 1941, (just one day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States joined World War II) 27-year-old Daniel enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Jacksonville Army Air Field in Florida. As a battlefield-commissioned Sargeant in the 76th Infantry, he served during the duration of WWII, plus 6 months after. Daniel was awarded a bronze star for meritorious service.
Mary Eleanora Pyzik was born on February 14, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph Pyzik and Marya Wegrzyn, who were both polish immigrants. She grew up in Chicago, attended Catholic school, and served in the Women's Army Corps of the U.S. Army during World War II, where she met Daniel Cazenave.
Mary Eleanora Pyzik was born on February 14, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph Pyzik and Marya Wegrzyn, who were both polish immigrants. She grew up in Chicago, attended Catholic school, and served in the Women's Army Corps of the U.S. Army during World War II, where she met Daniel Cazenave.
After Daniel and Eleanor were discharged from the Army, they married and settled in New Orleans to raise a family. Daniel worked as an addressing-embossing machine operator before opening his own hardware store in St. Bernard Parish. They had four children: Daniel Robert (1946), Suzanne Camille (1948), Denise Mary (1950), and Daniel Victor (1953).
Daniel passed away from a massive heart attack on May 8, 1956, at only 42 years old. He was remembered for his extensive work in recreation in St. Bernard Parish, and Arabi's "Daniel Cazenave American Veteran's Post #41" was named in his honor.
Eleanor continued to raise their four children after Daniel's death, working for various divisions of St. Bernard Parish (including the Parish Police Jury, the Parish Clerk of Court, and Joseph Davies' administration as Superintendent of Schools for the Parish). She also worked at Boeing's Michaud facility in Chalmette.
Eleanor was still living in St. Bernard Parish when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2004. She weathered the storm in her nursing home there, but had to be rescued by the National Guard when the facility flooded. She lived in Tennessee near her eldest son until November 2008, when she moved back to Louisiana (Marrero) to be cared for by her youngest daughter.