Monica Sowell Dancy

Monica Sowell Dancy, 69, of Shreveport, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on February 5, 2026 from kidney failure. She was surrounded by family.

Monica was born on September 7, 1956, to Tom and Leah Sowell in Shreveport, Louisiana. She graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1974, where she sat up straight at her desk and earned excellent grades. That's where she met her husband, Richard Dancy, a clever boy with bad grades. They fell in love quickly, got married young, and remained at each other's side for 47 years.

After a brief stint at college, Richard and Monica had their first child at the tender age of 19, and they spent a few years scraping to get by. Though everyone will remember her husband as the charismatic businessman and breadwinner, Monica was the one who started them on a path out of penury, by taking a job at Louisiana Bank and Trust in 1979. In the 1990s, she worked for the Louisiana child support enforcement office, and she supported Richard as he gambled on starting his own business. That gamble paid off, and the couple spent two decades living the good life, with a nice house, kids and grandkids poking around, close friends nearby, and many boating and camping trips.

Monica was first and foremost a devout Catholic, and she never wavered from her faith. Though naturally mild-mannered, she would fiercely defend her beliefs when challenged. Monica derived meaning from following the rules, a forgotten virtue in the world today. Unsurprisingly, she found inspiration in the story of her eponym, Saint Monica. And she absolutely adored Pope John Paul II.

Despite her devotion, Monica was also secretly drawn to rule-breakers, and she was happy to ride in the fast lane. She married a racecar driver and let her babies fall asleep on the concrete stands of Boothill Speedway. She loved watching mix martial arts and boxing. She laughed at inappropriate jokes, while pretending to be outraged. She stayed up late to watch Dirty Dancing or The Thornbirds. And though she mostly listened to country, she possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of classic rock music, and her guilty pleasure was Whitesnake.

Monica was a loving wife, mom, and grandmother. When Richard was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, Monica stayed close by his side until he passed in 2023. After his death, she was never able to fully recover. Her soul was just too attached to Richard's. Now, they can be attached again.

Monica was preceded in death by her husband Richard and her daughter Amy Dancy; her mother, Leah, and her father, Thomas Sowell. She is survived by her daughter, Heather Fatherree and husband, Lee, of Shreveport, LA; son, Geoff Dancy and wife, Menaka Philips, of Toronto, Ontario; and five grandchildren, Gracie and Alexander Fatherree, and Jai, Rami, and Senna Philips Dancy. She is also survived by her brother, Kevin Sowell and wife, Renee; her sister, Terri Mercer and husband, Speedy; in addition to numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Family and friends are welcome to attend the memorial service will be held at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Stonewall, Louisiana, at 10:00 am on February 14, 2026. Officiating the service will be Monica's nephew, Father Matthew Tyler Long.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to New Horizons Independent Living Center, an organization Monica and Richard felt strongly about (https://nhilc.org/).