Huey "Dewayne" Sanders, also known as Tadpole, finished his race and crossed the finish line on December 17, 2024 surrounded by his loved ones. He was born on February 10, 1957 in Winnfield, La. Dewayne was preceded in death by his parents, Huey and Dorothy Sanders, and brother, Randy Sanders. Dewayne is survived by Regina Sanders with whom he spent the last 48 years with. His favorite thing to do with her was to mow the grass. He is also survived by his daughter, Karen Sanders. He enjoyed going on "dream vacations" with her in the motorhome and proudly visited 48 states, seeing things he never thought he never imagined he would see. Dewayne is also survived by his son and best friend, Brian Sanders and wife, Donna Sanders. Over the years, he enjoyed racing, hunting, fishing, and everything in between with him. Dewayne favorite title was "PawPaw." He loved spending any time he could with his four grandsons, Colin and Colton Mathis, and Brock and Blake Sanders. He would tell anyone that would listen how proud he was of his kids and grandkids. The dream of being a great grandpa came true in 2020 with Hayslee Mathis, followed by the twins, Cooper and Harper Mathis. Their name for him was most often was "BawBaw" and he loved to hear them say that. Dewayne is also survived by his sister, Linda Price, her husband Jack, and nephews Trey and Chris Price. Over the last several years, his favorite time of day was 10 am, which was known as "Happy Hour" where him and his dog, Zoey, went to visit with his sister.

Dewayne earned the nickname of "Tadpole" at the age of eighteen when he started working at the lumber mill in Joyce. He continued to work there for almost thirty years. He then went to work at CCA in Winnfield in maintenance. In his final years of working, he worked at Southern LP Gas where he retired from. After retirement, he drove a bus for Dodson High School and truly enjoyed the kids on his bus route. During his life, he served as District 6 Police Juror, was over the water system in Joyce for over 25 years, and was currently serving as Justice of the Peace. Dewayne will be remembered most for his love and time spent with his kids and grandkids. He was often thought of as another dad or grandfather by close friends of his kids and grandkids. He led by example of what a great dad and grandpa is supposed to be and inspired others to do the same. Due to his competitive nature, his favorite person to compete
against was Brian. He was always trying to pull a prank or get him back for one thing or another, and vice versa. Throughout the many years of racing, he earned the bragging right of the tallest trophy, and he never wanted Brian to forget that.

Visitation will be at Southern Funeral Home on Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 5 pm-8 pm. Services will be held at Southern Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, December 20, 2024 at 1:30 pm with visitation starting at 12 pm until time of service. Burial will be in Gorhamtown Cemetery in Joyce, LA. Officiating the services will be Rev. Lamar Carpenter and Rev. Randy Griffin. Serving as pall bears will be Colin Mathis, Colton Mathis, Brock Sanders, Blake Sanders, Trey Price, and Chris Price. Honorary pall bearers will be lifelong friends Robert "Bob" Hutto, Glen Stroud, Michael Ross Smith, and Fred Porter, which he enjoyed his visiting daily at 6 am and sharing cooking tips and recipes.

The family would like to thank Rev. Lamar Carpenter, Dr. Alaa Younes and staff, Compassus Hospice Service, and Tony, Amy, and Judy at Winn Wellness. In lieu of flowers, Dewayne requested that donations be made to St. Jude Research Hospital.