John Wayne Sauls

Published 12:02 am Thursday, August 10, 2017

BATON ROUGE — Services for John Wayne “Peeps” “Poncho” Sauls, 74, who died on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, at The Crossing with Clarity Hospice in Baton Rouge, will be at 10 am. today at St. Louis King of France Catholic Church, 2121 N. Sherwood Forest Drive, in Baton Rouge. The funeral mass will be followed by a celebration of life and lunch.

Mr. Sauls was born on Jan. 26, 1943, in Baton Rouge, the son of Vollie Sauls and Thelma Gillis Sauls.

Mr. Sauls was a long-time resident of Zachary, La., graduating from Zachary High School in 1961.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. His accounting career led to employment with several plant contractors in the Baton Rouge area, taking him to sites around the United States to work, but retiring from Jacobs Group Baton Rouge office.

The last 17 years of his life, he resided in Natchez where he was a member of St. Mary Basilica parish and worked with several areas of the tourism industry. In his retirement, he enjoyed building bird houses for family and friends.

Mr. Sauls was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents, John Clinton and Ida Sykes Sauls and Joseph and Eliza Landry Gillis.

Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Page Mizell-Cobb Sauls of Baton Rouge; two sons, John Russell and wife, Terri, of Zachary and their children, John Isaac, Mason, Hannah and Daniel, and William and wife, Julie, of Azle, Texas, and their children Anika and Clark; two daughters, Carla Messina Walker of Prairieville, La., and her children Catherine Smith and Landon Smith, and Angela Messina Magee and her children, Ryan and Jeremy; one brother, Charles Ray Sauls and wife, Martha; two nephews, Michael and Scott and his two sons, Stephen and Matthew Sauls, all of Wiggins. Mr. Sauls was also the proud ‘Peeps of one great-grandchild, William Maddox Magee of Natchez.

The Sauls family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to Mr. Sauls’ total healthcare team for their constant care, support and compassion throughout the last five years. They would especially like to thank Dr. Gene Thompson, Dr. Charles Thompson and his associates at Cardiac Institute of the South in Zachary, Dr. Scott Nyboer, Dr. Paul Perkowski, Dr. Victor Oliver, Dr. Mark Mouton, Nurse Practitioner Will Boston, their nurses, technicians, nurse practitioners, medical assistants and staff. They also thank the doctors and staff of Lane Regional Medical Center AMG L-Tac Hospital in Zachary, Promise Hospital Mancuso Lane, as well as The Crossing and Clarity Hospice.