William "Bill" Rouselle Jr.

William “Bill” Rouselle Jr., was born in New Orleans on August 3, 1946, and entered into eternal rest on Sunday, July 21st. He was 77 years old. He attended Xavier University Preparatory School and was a 1967 Honors Graduate from Xavier University. Rouselle leaves a storied legacy, including the first African American reporter for WDSU who reported on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., host of Sunday Morning Journal and The Liberty Network, as well as a host of other leadership roles including nearly 40 years as the founder of Bright Moments public relations, marketing, and advertising firm. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edmonia Nelson and William Rouselle Sr. He is survived by his wife, Ethel Davis Rouselle; six daughters, Deena (Mark) Thomas; Caryn (Todd) Battiste; Sabrina (Marc) Johnson; and Dionne and Sharon Rouselle; a son, Tyrone Rodgers; two granddaughters, Kayla Thomas and Maya Johnson; and five grandsons, Mark Thomas, Jr., Jeremy Thomas, Paul Michael William Thomas, Johnathan Thomas, and Myles Johnson. His “play sister”, Willye Doretha Morton; a host of friends, Alton Obee, Russell Obee, Alden J. McDonald, Jr., Milton Rice, Kalamu Ya Salaam, Barbara Major, Ronnie Burns, C.J. Blache, Dr. Norman C. Francis, Thelma French, Paul Pastorek, Lona Hankins, Don Hubbard, Jim Singleton, Silas Lee, Sammy Lee, Lloyd Dennis, Stella Chase Reese, Larry Jordan, Darryl Kilbert, Norman Robinson, Warren Bell, Ronald Carrere, Don Hubbard, Demetric Mercadel and a host of many more dear friends. Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service celebrating his life at 12:30 PM on Saturday, August 3rd, which would have been his 78th birthday. The service will be held at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, 8282 I-10 Service Rd, New Orleans, LA 70126. Doors open at 11:30 AM. In Lieu of Flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to Black Education for New Orleans (BE NOLA) or The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO). Their donation information is below: BE NOLA: https://tinyurl.com/GiveBENOLA OR NOJO: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML21FCB8ARM9Y/checkout/4JQ5GUWPD3X6LS34RIVAUZNR

William "Bill" Rouselle Jr.

July 21, 2024