LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Cassidy Highlights Isle de Jean Charles Marina Owner for Lifelong Commitment to the Bayou

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), for his monthly Local Spotlight, recognized Theo Chaisson of the United Houma Nation in Southeast Louisiana. Theo left school in the third grade to help his family make a living and later began operating the Isle de Jean Charles Marina, which he still visits every day. Theo's hard work, love for family, and dedication to the bayou help make Louisiana special. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly reflects Louisiana values of humility, respect, and resiliency.

Read his full February 2026 Local Spotlight below:

This month's Local Spotlight is about a man who represents the heart of coastal Louisiana-Theo Chaisson.

Theo, a member of the United Houma Nation in Southeast Louisiana, was born and raised on Isle de Jean Charles, where the bayou is a way of life.

Think of families fishing and trapping together, growing their own food, and speaking French at the kitchen table. That was life in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana.

If you wanted shrimp for supper, you went out and caught them. If there was a wedding, the whole community showed up, often by boat, with music, laughter, and enough food to feed everyone twice.

Theo left school in the third grade to help his family make a living. By fourteen, he was already working long days, learning a trade, and building the kind of work ethic you can't teach in a classroom.

Over time, he turned that determination into a successful career and eventually began operating the Isle de Jean Charles Marina, a place that's become a gathering point for fishermen, neighbors, and visitors from around the world.

Today, Theo is 89. But he still goes back to the island every single day - not out of habit, but out of love. Love for his parents and grandparents, who raised him there. Love for the traditions, the cooking, the cast nets made by hand, the stories told in French, the deep respect for the bayou and the land.

In Louisiana, our strength is our people, the ones who work hard, take care of their families, and keep our traditions alive.

Theo Chaisson does all of that and more.

Theo, thank you for being an example of what makes our state so special. And thank you for reminding us that while places may change, the values we're raised with: faith, family, and community, will keep us grounded.

Background

In January, Cassidy highlighted Lilly Harvey of Jonesville, Louisiana, who founded the nonprofit "Millie Mattered" after losing her daughter to a fentanyl overdose. Lilly has dedicated her life to educating young people on the dangers of illegal opioids and helping families navigate the tragedy of addiction, turning this tragedy into hope for families across the country. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly reflects Louisiana values of humility, respect, and resiliency.

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