Da'Vounte Hudgens

Davounte' Charles Hudgens left heaven on August 5, 1995 and was delivered to his loving mom, Lakeysha Waddy and proud Dad Darnell LaMont Hudgens, Sr. in Denver, Colorado. Then on January 20, 2015, Our Creator and Father God dispatched angels to Denver, Colorado, to transport Davounte' back to His warm embrace. And while we lament what we consider his too short life, we rest in the comfort and assurance that 19-year old Davounte had finished his assignment here on earth and no lives forever in the land where he will never grow old. Davounte accepted Christ at a young age and was called "Little Moses." "My life is but the weaving Between my God and Me I only choose the colors He weaveth steadily. Sometimes He weaveth sorrow And I in foolish pride, Forget He sees the upper And I the under side. If the question were asked in a crowded room, "Who was Davounte's best friend," with a certainty every hand would be raised because Davounte' never met a stranger. He accepted everyone he met, no matter who they were, with a love that flowed naturally from a gentle heart. In fact, his family constituted his original "best friends." Davounte's special name for older brother Darnell was "Weezie;" he called Kendall "Grizzel," while his only sister, Ashley, answered to "Twin," and Jovon always was "my little brother." These close-knit siblings remember his spirit, boundless enthusiasm, and contagious energy. Ashley reminisces that Davounte' "could always make you laugh; he loved a good time." Darnell remembers how open and outgoing he was. "When he was younger he was shy, but as he got older he became more confident. And that is the main thing that people were attracted to." Davounte' met others so easily because he had gained his knowledge, understanding, and sense of loyalty first within his own family. His Mom remembers Davounte's amazing musical gifts. "His passion was music; it was in his spirit! He was kind-hearted and full of energy. He'd say, "If I don't make it in Pro Ball, I'm going to be a journalist or poet. And he had notebooks after notebooks of the songs he wrote," she explained. Darnell recalled Davounte' suggesting, "Hey, let's sit down and do some writing." Nodding his head in agreement, Kendall remembers, "'He would say to me, 'Bro, I just want to perform. I want to make people happy. He even rapped in his sleep!" his grandmother, Pastor Cheryl, also known as "Mamo" smiles as she recalls his gift of writing gospel raps which he performed at church services. "He'd tear it up," she says proudly. "He'd have us all up praising and glorifying God. Jovon recalls learning and doing "Beats" and wanting to be just like his "big Bro," while Darnell speaks about all the times Davounte' would wake him up early with the same question: "Bro, you ready to rap?" While Davounte' was passionate about music and basketball, he embraced his spiritual life. His Mom describes how Davounte' would "just open the Holy Bible, read, and then write Scriptures on sticky notes that he'd go back later and read again." One of his favorite gospel songs was "Holy Ghost Power," by Detrick Haddon. His Mamo recalls: "Many times when I'd take Davounte' to the store with me, I'd give him money to buy something he liked. Instead, he'd give his money to his sister, and made sure to ask "will you buy my brother something too." His family asserts that he lived the Golden Rule. A Giver all his life, to a person they say, "Even if it was only one dollar, Davounte would ask, "Do you want it? You can have it---and he meant it." Davounte' Charles Hudgens attended Denver Public schools and continuated from Smiley Middle School. He attended both George Washington and Colorado High School where he excelled as a basketball player. He soaked up learning like a sponge and was always inquisitive, always wanting to learn more and more. Says Ashley: "He could take apart anything electronic or electrical and put it back together again." Davounte' was a perfectionist, much like Papo Gregory and a "people person," like Grandpa Gary. His brother Darnell captures, as much as possible, the family's love for Davounte' when he says, "We have so much to treasure and remember about our brother: he was one-of-a-kind," a sentiment deeply shared by his close friend, Ashantii "Smoke" Phillips. Davounte's father, Darnell LaMont Hudgens, Sr., preceded him in death, as did his grandmother, Linda Waddy, and great-grandparents, Helen and Henry Waddy. He leaves to mourn as well as to celebrate his life: mother, Lakeysha Waddy, Robert Charlton, Grandparents, Pastor Cheryl (Gregory) Curtis, affectionately known as Mamo and Papo, Gary Waddy, Willie Hudgens Jr., Great grandmother, Tommie "Grandma Tweet" Greene; Great Grandfather, Robert V. Grant "Grandpa Tuffy", his brothers Darnell, Jr., Kendall and Jovon; sister Ashley, Uncle Gary Waddy Jr., Aunt LaShawn ( Minor) Kanard; Uncles Gregory Grant, Andre' Grant, all of Denver, Co.; Aunt Deborah (Larry) Holliday of Southfield, MI., and numerous caring relatives and loyal friends.

Funeral Home: Pipkin Braswell Funerals and Cremation - 2050 Uinta Street, Denver, Colorado
Visitation: 1/29/2015 at 4:00 PM - Pipkin Braswell Chapel of Peace - 6601 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO
Service: 1/30/2015 at 2:00 PM - Pipkin Braswell Chapel of Peace - 3370 Ivy Street, Denver, CO