Baton Rouge, LA - Against her wishes, we are writing to tell you that our mom, Annette Marino Brabetz, has died at the age of 86.

She spent 28 years working in the Emergency Room at The Baton Rouge General forced into retirement at 80 after a fall. Throughout her time at both BRG Mid-City and later BRG Bluebonnet, Ms. Annette provided comic relief to the doctors, nurses, staff and the patients she admitted. It's fitting that she returned there one last time, in dramatic fashion, on Friday, June 26, 2026 where she took her final breath surrounded by her family and former co-workers.

The Baton Rouge General ER provided some of her closest friends and a lifetime of stories. She loved working the night shift at Mid-City, sometimes missing family gatherings because there was never a dull moment in the ER.

Wickedly smart, she attended St. Joseph's Academy all 12 years and was a proud member of the class of 1957. Until her death, she would fondly recall walking to SJA from her home on Steele Boulevard, picking up her friend Elise on Westmoreland before crossing the gravel road that is now Acadian Thruway. She later studied English at LSU.

Known to her grandchildren as Nanette, nothing brought her greater joy than spending time with Will and Walker Ridge, Claire, Edwin, David and Cate Perrault. Because of her sight, she was unable to drive the last years of her life and loved being picked up by her grandkids. She'd hop in and out of their trucks and jeeps like a teenager and treat them to breakfast at her favorite spot, New York Bagel on Jefferson.

Tiny in stature, you'd never know that she ran entirely on fast food, Lucky Charms, Calvin's chicken salad and "Coca-Cola." She loved Saturday mornings at Superior Grill, Sunday breakfast at Frank's and an afternoon drive to Sonny's BBQ.

A voracious reader, she loved true crime, historical scandals and quality celebrity gossip. We're certain that she will spend her first minutes in heaven finding out who killed JonBenét.

Our childhood memories are filled with the sound of classic country, the scent of Aqua Net, jaunts to K&B for the latest tabloids and visions of her zipping around in that red Mercury Cougar.

The only thing that slowed her down was her battle with macular degeneration. She would frequently harass her doctors at VRI Louisiana about correcting her sight so she could get back behind the wheel. They did their best. So did she.

She was cared for and loved by her children Dr. Tom Garland (Linda), Greg Garland, Jenny Ridge (Billy), Julie Perrault (Michael), her six grandchildren, her siblings Phyllis McKay and Charles Marino (Dale) and numerous nieces and nephews.

Gone before her were her husband Edwin Brabetz, her longtime companion Dr. Jim Choate, her parents Charlie and Josie Marino and her brother-in-law John McKay.

She has donated her body to LSU Medical School. She hated nothing more than attending funerals and has spared you from going to hers. Her family will have a private mass in her honor. You can remember her with a donation to St. Joseph's Academy, the Baton Rouge General Foundation or a Capri Slim cigarette and a late-night Taco Bell run.