He was born in Houston on December 22, 1946 to the late James Marvin Sims Sr. and Lucille Geneva Sims (nee Etie). Jim spent his childhood living in Houston and Galveston, where he developed his love for the ocean and sailing. He graduated from Jeff Davis High School and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Houston. Jim was married to Linda Marie Stoffels on September 2, 1967, and he lived his life for his family, which eventually included three loving children. He enjoyed spending time with his children, reading books with them, teaching them to play sports, card games, and board games, and sharing his love for puzzles. He liked to put the kids to bed, and tell each of them their “nicest quality” for that day. When his son joined the Cub Scouts, Jim became a scout leader. He joined the Catholic Church shortly after marrying Linda, and his religion was one of the most important things in his life. He eventually joined the Knights of Columbus, and became a Eucharistic Minister. He later led the prayer group at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spring, Texas. Together with his wife, he organized and participated in the adoration service for around ten years, where he was also an incenser. Jim spent most of his professional life at Exxon. He started out working in the mail room while he was in college. After graduating, he joined the Navy in 1970 and proudly served aboard the USS Coral Sea during the Vietnam War. After four years in the service of his country, Jim returned to Exxon working as an accountant. He discovered his passion for computers and became a software developer and database administrator before retiring from the company at age 59. Jim’s gift was making people smile. Whether it be making you say “cheese” while enjoying his hobby of photography or waiting patiently to crack a silly joke or pun. His favorite way to leave a store was to tell the cashier, “Y’all come back and see us again real soon!” It never failed to make the room smile. After retiring, he survived a fight with cancer and was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. During that time, he and Linda moved to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. There, he enjoyed sitting on the front porch watching the birds, visiting the community, and watching his grandchildren graduate high school. He is survived by his wife Linda Marie, daughter Laura Lynn Kooyers (Brandon) and his sons Joseph Michael Sims and Christopher James Sims (Robyn), by his grandchildren Kaytlyn Marie Kooyers and Cody Wyatt Kooyers, by his sister Marvalyn Jeanine Hembree and his brother Jay Alan Sims (Margarita). Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday, May 18, 2020 at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home at Interstate 35 and Wells Branch Parkway. Afterwards, the funeral service will take place outdoors at the Cook-Walden cemetery, out of regard for the health of those attending. Those wishing to honor his memory may do so with flowers or a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
In Memoriam