James Roland Sims Jr.

Sims, James R. Jr.
"Jim"
Webster: On May 16, 2013, at age 87, James R. Sims, Jr. went home to be with the Lord. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Phyllis; his children, James (Benta) R. Sims III, Joanne (Brian) Fouquet and Judy (Graham) Petz; grandchildren, Courtney, Kathleen, Brian, Matthew, Jessica, Brittany and Nathan; great-grandson, Cayden; and several nieces and nephews.
Jim was a graduate of Vanderbilt University. He served in the US Navy during WWII. Jim set out to be a Chemical Engineer at Eastman Kodak Company, but soon decided to pursue a teaching career. So he returned to school, obtained a Master's Degree from the University of Rochester, and ultimately became a math teacher at Eastridge High School in East Irondequoit.
Jim met Phyllis at the YWCA in Rochester at a swimming party. They fell in love and were married one year later.
In the early years he was an amateur radio operator, and enjoyed building things. He even built a space ship in the back yard for their children. He used his amateur radio electronic skills and equipment to create a talking pumpkin at Halloween every year, which was the hit of the neighborhood.
He always dreamed of owning a lot of land, and purchased and renovated their property in Webster, which was an old farm house with 24 acres and a barn. He added a pond where his children and all the neighborhood kids swam, boated, fished, and ice-skated. Campfires were also a favorite pastime there.
He was a real animal lover; over the years, the family had a pony, a horse, several dogs, many cats, and various frogs and fish. He and Phyllis even adopted their neighbor's dog a year ago when the neighbors left the area.
Jim loved the beach and took his family on many beach vacations up and down the east coast. Several of the places they visited were: Chincoteague, Virginia, Cape May, New Jersey, Cape Cod, Outer Banks NC, Myrtle Beach SC, and St. Petersburg, Florida, leading to them buy and enjoy for many years a winter retreat in Fort Myers, Florida.
He was active in local politics for a time, running for the school board in Rochester in the early 1970's. He also served for many years as the official Webster bingo inspector.
His funeral service will be held Monday, May 20th at 11 AM at Webster Bible Church, 675 Holt Road, Webster, NY 14580. Interment will follow at Webster Union Cemetery at Woodhull and Webster Roads (all are welcome). Donations may be made in Jim's name to the church or the American Heart Association. To share a memory, please visit the link above.