Many genuine, humorous cooks can be found across the United States. However, there is only one “Cajun” cook who gave pride to Louisiana cooking. Justin Wilson gave many Cajun dishes their name. Wilson, 87, died on Sept. 5, in Baton Rouge.

A funeral was held at St. Luke Episcopal Church on Saturday in Baton Rouge. Wilson was buried in St. William’s Cemetery in Port Vincen, in Livingston Parish.

Wilson was born in 1914 in Roseland, La. Though he grew up in the non-Cajun Florida parishes, he still the French language.

He learned to speak the language and cook by his mother, Olivett Toadvin Wilson. Growing up, many of his neighbors remember calling him “Joos-tain.”

He attended Louisiana State University to become a traveling safety engineer, but in the meantime, he kept his love for cooking.

He had a sense of humor that would put a smile on anyone’s face as he spiced up his latest recipe. His charm and wit reached people in many ways.

Wilson had a flare for television. He appeared on “The Tonight Show” and was a spokesman for “Cajun Spice.”

He loved to travel, and he was known to tell unique Cajun bayou stories to everyone he met.

Wilson always felt the need to record an album of these stories so that others all over the United States could have the chance to hear them.

His first album sold over one million copies. Today he has recorded 27 albums of Cajun bayou stories, including “Ol’ Favorites,” “The Crazy, Country World of Justin Wilson” and “Not for Cajuns Only, Volume 3 (Goin’ Fishin’).”

He also recorded one Christmas album that was performed with a jazz band.

With each album he sold, his fame grew. He also became a well- known member of the American Society of Safety Engineers. In his travels, he spoke about safety to many groups of people, and said that no one could ever be too safe.

Wilson authored five best selling Cajun cookbooks, made films that included cooking for educational television and wrote two books of humorous Cajun stories.

Examples of some of the books he wrote are “Justin Wilson’s Homegrown Louisiana Cookin,” “Justin Wilson’s Easy Cookin'” and “Justin Wilson’s Cajun Humor.”

Wilson loved composing songs and making others laugh. He had an original style. He cooked famous Cajun foods as he fractured the English and French dialect together.

His most famous sayings include “How y’all are?” and “I garontee!”

Wilson was survived by three daughters: Sarah Sue Easterly, Pam Colleran and Menette Catalanotto; eight grandchildren; two step-grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Wilson also left memories of his great cooking ability and the laughter that life always needed.

Wilson’s famous sayings and great cooking ideas can be found on his website www.justinwilson.com and in his videos and albums.

As Justin Wilson would say, “I’m glad for you to hear me!”