Eddie Favre, former Coast mayor remembered for his love of Bay St. Louis, dies

Former Bay St. Louis Mayor Eddie Favre died early Sunday. He was 69.

The mayor of Bay St. Louis when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 saw the city through its worst disaster — wearing shorts and flip-flops as he traveled the country to raise fund for his city and raise awareness of the devastation suffered by the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

He even wore a tuxedo with the pants altered into shorts for a gala event in Washington, D.C., vowing to not wear long pants until Bay St. Louis has fully recovered from the storm. He finally put on long pants again in 2011 — not because he felt that Bay St. Louis had recovered from Katrina, but because he was subpoenaed in a court case. Sun Herald reporter Anita Lee saw the then-former mayor in long pants at the Harrison County Courthouse.

“We’re not quite there,” Favre said at the time, “but I didn’t want to offend the judge.”

Favre, the brother of current Bay St. Louis Mayor Mike Favre, began his career in public service in 1980 as city clerk for Bay St. Louis. He then served the city for 20 years as mayor, deciding not to run again in 2009. He retired briefly before heading back into public service as Hancock County administrator in 2016. He retired again in 2022, citing health reasons.

The city honored Favre with a Bronze Star on the sidewalk in front of Hancock Whitney Bank on Beach Boulevard in October 2022.

In addition to his work as a public service, Favre was a fixture in fundraisers that included cooking. He cooked in competitions to help raise money for Hope Haven, the American Cancer Society and other charities.

Kay Kell, who worked as city clerk from 1989 to 1996, said working for Favre was an adventure.

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