February 24, 1933 – July 13, 2025 Private graveside services will be Saturday, July 19, 2025, for Sydney Rae Ortego Harper, who passed away July 13 at the age of 92. A native of Alexandria and resident of Natchitoches most of her life, Sydney lived the last several years in Lafayette, close to her daughter and grandchildren. Sydney was born February 24, 1933, to Beatrice and Robert Ortego in Alexandria, where she attended elementary school and Bolton High School. Following high school, she completed secretarial training and worked in banking for Rapides Bank in the 1950s. She married her high school sweetheart, Grady Harper, and when he began teaching at Louisiana College, she became active in campus family organizations. While living in Alexandria, they welcomed a daughter, Becky, and Sydney later worked in the business office for Orkin Exterminating Company. In 1970, the family moved to Natchitoches, where Grady taught art at Northwestern State University, and Sydney was active in the NSU Campus Women’s Association. She also again worked for Orkin, this time in the Natchitoches office, and then transitioned back into banking at Progressive Savings and Loan until her retirement. Sydney took great pride in her extensive role in supporting Grady and Becky in their educational, community, and recreational activities. She was instrumental in creating and staffing the Youth House at the First United Methodist Church, and enjoyed sewing, her pet dachshunds, walking and swimming, and travelling the world with Grady, cultivating the best of friends in France and England. When Sydney’s three grandchildren were born, they became her pride and joy, and she moved to Lafayette to be near them after Grady’s death in 2016. Sydney is survived by her daughter, Becky Monrose and her husband, Blake; her grandchildren, Brandon Monrose, and Avery LeBlanc and her husband, Joey, all of Lafayette; Aaron Monrose of Baton Rouge; her brother, Robert Ortego of California; nieces Annette Wallace Cherwa and her husband Mike, of Virginia Beach, VA, and Debbie Wallace Morrison and her husband, Bill, of Pineville. Special thanks to those who most recently cared for Sydney at Avanti Assisted Living, Maison de Monde in Abbeville, and Audubon Hospice. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in Sydney’s name to the Dr. Grady Harper Visual Arts Scholarship, NSU Foundation, 535 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71497. To extend on-line condolences to the Harper family, please contact us at www.hixsonbrothers.com.
May 22, 2026
