Wayne Kenneth Sims

Funeral services for Wayne Kenneth Sims of Baton Rouge will be held Friday, April 21, 2023 at Healing Place Church (Annex) with Pastor Mike Haman officiating. A visitation will begin at 9 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory under the direction of Church Funeral Services and Crematory of St. Amant. Wayne Kenneth Sims, a loving husband, father, brother and friend, passed away suddenly on April 12, 2023 at the age of 54. A longtime resident of Baton Rouge and a native of DeRidder, La., Sims was born in San Mateo, California on October 13, 1968. His family moved to Louisiana and settled in DeRidder when Sims was eight years old. He attended Beauregard Parish public schools and went on to DeRidder High School. Standing 6-7 and weighing 250 pounds, Sims grew into one of the most ferocious power forwards in the state of Louisiana, eventually garnering the attention of LSU Coach Dale Brown. After graduating from DeRidder in 1986, Sims was recruited by and signed with LSU, where he would become a mainstay on the hardwood for the next four seasons. Playing alongside some of LSU’s greatest players like Shaquille O’Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Stanley Roberts, Sims appeared in 117 games, starting 74. He scored 1,107 career points, grabbed 603 rebounds, and is one of 21 LSU players to reach 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds. Sims remains only one of nine players in program history to appear in four NCAA tournaments. Sims scored 24 points in one of LSU’s most memorable upset victories, an 82-80 triumph over No. 2 Georgetown on Jan. 28, 1989 — a game played in the Superdome in New Orleans in front of a crowd of 54,321. Known as “Big Daddy,” “Big Wayne,” and “Big Dub,” Wayne was a big teddy bear with a huge heart. Following his playing days, Wayne met the love of his life – Fay Murry – and they would spend the next 31 years together. He and Fay enjoyed traveling, exploring different coffee shops, and hanging out with friends and family. Wayne and Fay were best friends and set an example for many of what a marriage should look like. The Baby Boomers referred to Fay and Wayne as “the wind beneath their wings,” while the Millennials called their marriage the “blueprint to future goals.” A man of faith, Wayne was a member of Healing Place Church. He read his bible and prayed every day. Employed by The Shaw Group for the past 12 years, Wayne loved to fish, watch sports, and cook. He took pride in watching his son, Wayde, play basketball. He loved to crack jokes, make everyone laugh, he never met a stranger and made everyone feel welcome. Wayne leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife of 29 years, Fay Murry Sims; a son, Justin DeRouselle and his son Ryder Wayde Derouselle; his mother, Janice Kay Stewart; his brother, Cecil Stewart, Jr.; a special cousin Rhonda McClinton; two brothers-in-law, Glenn Murry and Jeff Murry and his wife Wendy; his mother-in-law Agnes Murry and sister-in-law Bobbye Murry – with both of whom he shared a very special bond. Wayne also leaves behind, “the two daughters he never had,” Katelyn Murry and Jill Jones and special love for his cousin, Patricia Yvette Thomas, a.k.a. “Tootsie Mama;” his Godmother, Susie “Mama Sue” Davis; and Rachel. Also mourning Wayne’s loss are countless friends and teammates as well as his grandson, Buddha. Wayne was preceded in death by his son, Wayde Kenneth Sims; his father, Cecil Stewart, Sr; his father-in-law, Louis Murry; his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Owens and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Stewart, Sr. Serving as pallbearers are Stanley Roberts, Vernel Singleton, Maurice Williamson, Bryon Parrott, Patrick Shepard and Dillion Smith. Honorary pallbearers include Coach Stan Levy and members of the 1986 DeRidder High School Basketball Team. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wayde Sims Foundation by visiting waydesims.org/contribute