James Thomas "Tater" Hanes, Sr.

James Thomas “Tater” Hanes, Sr., age 94, of Bryant, Alabama, passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, July 24, 2026. He made it across the finish line and is now with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A funeral service to celebrate Tater’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bryant Chapel of Moore Funeral Home. Brother Wayne Winters will officiate the service, and Tater will be laid to rest at Straightway Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. ET and on Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until the service hour.

Tater was a lifelong outdoorsman who lived the kind of life most outdoorsmen only dream of. He spent his life as a commercial fisherman and was known as a slat-box fisherman, catching catfish up and down the Tennessee River. Fishing was in his blood, and there was nothing he would rather be doing. He remained on the water for as long as he was able, fishing as recently as a few months before his death. Tater also enjoyed hunting ginseng and simply being outdoors.

At the age of 93, Tater accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He lived the remainder of his earthly life with Jesus in his heart and the assurance of his eternal home.

Tater was preceded in death by his wife, Lucille “Lucy” Sanders Hanes; his parents, Gus and Laura Goodman Hanes; four sisters; and two brothers.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, James Thomas “Tommy” Hanes, Jr. and Rhonda Hanes; granddaughters, Laura Pattillo and her husband, Michael, and Amber Hanes; great-grandchildren, Thomas Pattillo and Natallie Pattillo; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Pallbearers will be Pete Westmoreland, Wayne Westmoreland, Allen Bozarth, Michael Pattillo, Thomas Pattillo, and Joe Slay.